Tiffany James Went Trick-or-Treating with Her Twin Daughters. Then She Was Murdered in Front of Them By Her Ex By Aya Al-Hakim

On Halloween night in 2015, Tiffany James and her twin daughters were returning home from trick-or-treating when tragedy struck.

Just steps from their apartment in Brandon, Fla., James was shot in front of her children by their father, Darryl Eugene Williams, dressed in a costume resembling Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th.

Behind the horror of that night lay years of tension, court filings and disturbing allegations, all pointing to a relationship that had long been unraveling.

Here’s everything to know about the events leading up to Tiffany James’ murder and the arrest that followed.

Who was Tiffany James?

James was a 35-year-old mother of twin daughters, Diamond and Da’Niyah, whom she shared with Williams.

Professionally, she worked in a student recruitment position at Ultimate Medical Academy in Florida, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

What happened on Halloween night?

On Halloween night in 2015, James and her daughters were walking home from trick-or-treating in Brandon, Fla., a suburb east of Tampa, when Williams — the twins’ father — approached them.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Williams walked toward James in the dark and shot her twice, with their daughters standing beside her. Just a short distance away, his girlfriend was seated in a car and witnessed the shooting. Her testimony would later play a crucial role in helping police charge Williams with murder.

Around 11 p.m., a neighbor called 911 after hearing a loud bang, according to an episode of Snapped about the case. When the neighbor stepped outside, she saw James lying on the ground. A figure dressed in a full Halloween costume, reportedly resembling Jason from Friday the 13th, stood over her with a shotgun.

The neighbor quickly retreated inside and hid. Moments later, she heard three gunshots. Then came a knock at her door.

When she opened it, she found one of James’ daughters, who was bloodied and terrified. She ushered both girls into her apartment.

“They both had blood all over them. One of them … couldn’t even talk. She would try and there was no voice coming out. It’s heartbreaking,” Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Detective Moises Garcia recounted on Snapped.

James was rushed to Tampa General Hospital by first responders but died from her injuries.

How was Williams charged?

Initially, it was challenging to connect Williams to the crime, as he refused to speak with investigators despite being declared a person of interest the following day. Then his girlfriend came forward, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

She informed the officers that she had driven Williams to the apartment complex and waited with him until James arrived home, sometime after 11 p.m. She claimed to have heard James scream, witnessed the two arguing and then heard gunfire.

Following her account, Williams was taken into custody at his workplace, the Mosaic phosphate plant, in Riverview. He was charged with first-degree murder and held without bail.

What was the relationship between Williams and James? 

According to Snapped, James met Williams in 2008. He was 14 years older, and they both had children from previous relationships. Together, they welcomed twin daughters.

By 2013, the two had split. In the summer of 2015, James reconnected with an old friend, a single father, which reportedly caused more tension between her and Williams.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, over the course of seven years, both James and Williams sought protective orders against each other. Each claimed to fear the other, but all petitions were denied.

In a 2011 court filing, James wrote, “I am afraid to meet him alone because of all of the threats he has made,” requesting supervised custody exchanges for their daughters.

She also accused Williams of verbally abusing her two older sons from a previous relationship, alleging that he once told one of them, “If you died, I would spit on your grave.” In another petition, she claimed Williams had threatened their lives, saying her family “would have to prepare for a funeral.”

Williams later filed a petition of his own in August 2015, alleging that James’ relatives were harassing him with phone calls and threatening to “blow my brains out.” A judge dismissed the case, citing insufficient evidence.

Related Stories

Chelsea Bruck Went to a Halloween Party at a Farm and Never Came Home. Here’s How Her Costume Led to Her Killer

What Happened to Karen Swift? Inside the Small-Town Mystery of the Mom Who Disappeared After a Halloween Party

According to Snapped, investigators later uncovered a series of disturbing events, including claims that Williams had targeted James at her job and someone had disabled her car’s gas tank.

Just one day before the murder, James had been granted custody of the twins during a court appearance.

Where is Williams now?

Williams was charged with first-degree murder, though he later accepted a plea deal.

“We were disappointed,” James’ brother Humphrey said on Snapped about the plea deal. “He shot my sister in the face with a shotgun. Watched her on the ground. The girls were right there with her. Coward is too good of a word. It didn’t feel like justice. But, to avoid any more damage to the girls, I think that avoiding placing them on the stand and putting them back in that situation was the better alternative.”

According to Snapped, Williams is scheduled for release from prison in 2035.

“I feel like Darryl snapped because he lost control,” Humphrey added. “He was more comfortable with her being gone and out of the picture…as sick and twisted as it is, I think that was his ultimate vengeance.”