A man who murdered his ex-girlfriend was attacked by her sons during a sentencing hearing in an Ohio courtroom Thursday.
Dale Williams, 62, was in a Mahoning County courtroom for sentencing for the 2017 murder of his girlfriend Elizabeth Pledger-Smart when two of her sons attacked him during the victim impact testimony portion of the hearing, WKBN reported.
A Taser was used on one of the men. Both men were arrested and are facing charges for contempt of court, WFMJ reported.
"Our deputies there intervened. We had extra officers in the courtroom to begin with," Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene told WKBN. "I'm sure they knew that there were some tensions with this sentencing hearing. From everything I can see, the officers acted appropriately. In fact, did a pretty good job, in my opinion."
Williams was taken to a hospital for evaluation, WFMJ reported. His sentencing was rescheduled, WKBN reported.
In 2017, Williams waited for Pledger-Smart as she drove to work, then rammed her car off the road before shooting her multiple times in broad daylight on Youngstown's Market Street, WKBN reported. Police arrived while Williams was still shooting, WFMJ reported.
"He went in detail about how he lied in wait and he did this," prosecutor Dawn Cantalamessa told WKBN earlier this year. "He made a statement initially that he was trying to save one bullet for himself, as well, or one bullet to point at the police, but he ended up using it all."
Williams pleaded guilty and could face up to 23 years in prison, WFMJ reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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