Police reports, video detail Tre Williams case

The woman involved in the 2018 criminal case against University of Missouri football player Tre Williams told police she worsened the marks on her neck after she and Williams fought earlier that night, according to records obtained by ABC 17 News.

Williams, a junior defensive end for the Missouri Tigers football team, pleaded guilty in July to first-degree peace disturbance, a misdemeanor. Police and prosecutors originally suspected Williams of second-degree domestic assault following a fight between him and his girlfriend early in the morning of Dec. 9, 2018.

Columbia police wrote in a probable cause statement at the time that they observed red swelling around the woman’s neck. She told officers then that Williams choked her while trying to get his phone following an argument between the two.

Body camera footage at the scene of the argument provided by CPD does not appear to show any red marks on the woman’s neck. Officers followed up later that night to take pictures of the woman’s neck.

A follow-up report dated May 9 from Detective Randell Nichols says that the woman admitted to “trying to make the marks worse.” The woman told Nichols that she was mad at Williams for emotional stress related to their relationship, which included several prior arguments, according to that report.

Williams received a two-year unsupervised probation term for his plea. He must complete at least 10 hours of counseling through the University of Missouri Counseling Program and 30 hours of community service.

Both the woman and Williams admitted to arguing with each other that night on the way back from downtown bars, with the woman driving Williams. Each of them told police they grabbed each other’s phones, and Williams said he reached across her in an effort to get his back. After she pulled over, the two said she dropped Williams’ phone out the driver’s side window. When Williams got out to get his phone, the woman got to it first. Williams then said he reached through the driver’s side window to get it.

The woman first reported it was at this time when Williams began to choke her. She reported that she drove away with his arm still inside the window to get away.

“You’re scaring me, you’ve never put your hands on me like that,” the woman said she told Williams after the incident.

On Dec. 10, the woman told police investigators in an interview that he put a hand on her neck, and that she could not breathe.

Williams told police when they spoke to him Dec. 9 that he did not choke her. Officers arrested him that night.

A March 4 police report from Nichols said that the woman told police she gave a recorded statement to Williams’ attorney at the time, Chris Slusher. She recanted her statement about an assault, the report said.

Slusher deferred comment on the situation to Kay Evans, who currently represents Williams. Evans did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Assistant Boone County prosecutor Cecily Daller said she could not comment on the specifics of the police reports because the case is still active under Williams’ probation terms. She said the plea was in the best interest of each side of the case.

“It allows the people involved to move forward,” Daller said.