NORFOLK, Va. — A dispute over a television that had been left behind at a Norfolk apartment ended with one childhood friend killing another, according to prosecutors, after Steven Edward Williams Jr. shot 24-year-old Norman Hollowell Jr. eight times.
Williams, 25, was convicted of second-degree murder and using a firearm in the commission of a murder in Hollowell’s death.
The shooting happened on July 24, 2024, at an apartment complex on Pretty Lake Avenue.
According to prosecutors, Williams went to Hollowell’s apartment armed with a gun after learning that a television belonging to Williams’ brother had been sold.
Williams’ brother had previously lived with Hollowell and left the television behind when he moved out several months earlier. The brother reportedly said he would return for the TV but never did.
Hollowell eventually sold it.
That decision would later become the center of a deadly confrontation.
Dispute Over TV Escalates Before Shooting
On the day of the shooting, Williams learned that the television had been sold and called Hollowell several times.
At the time, Hollowell was babysitting his young nephew while making food deliveries. He eventually answered one of Williams’ calls and agreed to meet him at his apartment.
Prosecutors presented evidence suggesting Hollowell knew the meeting could be serious. Before entering the apartment, he locked his young nephew in his car and sent his mother a text message saying, “I love you.”
Hollowell then walked inside, where Williams was waiting.
Williams testified during the trial that he did not know the television had been sold. Prosecutors, however, presented evidence they said contradicted that claim, including a Facebook post showing the television.
Hollowell reportedly offered Williams another television, but tensions escalated when Hollowell saw two other men approaching his apartment.
Doorbell Camera Captures Men Fleeing Apartment
About two minutes later, doorbell camera footage showed Williams carrying a gun while fleeing the apartment with the two other men, who were carrying a television.
Police later found Hollowell on the living room floor suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. A medical examiner determined that Hollowell died from blood loss. The case then turned to Williams’ explanation for why he fired the weapon.
Williams claimed he acted in self-defense, telling the jury that Hollowell had pointed a gun directly at his face. But prosecutors said investigators found no evidence that Hollowell had pointed a gun at Williams.
The evidence presented at trial ultimately led jurors to reject Williams’ self-defense claim.
Jury Rejects Self-Defense Claim
After hearing the evidence, the jury deliberated for approximately three hours before finding Williams guilty.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi said the legal standards surrounding murder and self-defense played an important role in the case.
“The legal standard to prove someone’s guilt as charged is high; the standard for the defense of self-defense is much lower,” Fatehi said. “After considering the evidence and their instructions, the jury came to the same conclusion that we did: Mr. Williams was not acting in self-defense, and he was guilty of murder.”
Fatehi also emphasized the relationship between the two men, noting that Williams had known Hollowell since childhood.
“Mr. Williams took the life of someone he had known since childhood,” he said.
Suspect Deactivated Facebook and Ditched Gun
Following the shooting, prosecutors said Williams deactivated his Facebook account and discarded the gun. The firearm was later recovered by authorities.
Those actions became part of the evidence presented during the case as prosecutors argued that Williams was responsible for the killing and had not acted lawfully in self-defense. Fatehi said he hoped the verdict would provide some measure of closure to Hollowell’s family.
“I grieve for Mr. Hollowell and for his family, and I hope that this verdict brings them some closure,” Fatehi said.
Williams remains set to return to court for sentencing on December 18. Prosecutors said they will seek a prison sentence that reflects the seriousness of the crime and the harm caused by Hollowell’s death.
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