LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – It’s hard enough to lose one child. Imagine losing three..to murder.
Three sons killed over a span of eight years.
Their father, Earl Williams’ emotions have gone from anger and revenge to sorrow and heartache.
Donna Terrell tells his story tonight with the help of song lyrics from country music singer Zac Dunlap.
“Whew. Lord have mercy, you just don’t know,” says Williams.
Three of his sons were murdered between 2005 and 2013.
“They killed my boys,” he says.
Like the lyrics from this country song, he grieves every day.
My sunshine in the darkness, shine your light on me
Though you’re not here now it’s your love I see
“I tried to tell my boys you don’t have friends. They ain’t bleeding the blood you bleed. You don’t have friends you have people you know and all my sons where killed by their so-called friends” he continues. “I was mad, I was mad at the world. I was mad at God, mad at everybody. I wanted people to feel like I felt. I wanted to them to hurt like I hurt.”
And your love will always be…
“Sometimes I think I’m going out of my mind, but I know that God didn’t bring me this far to drop me off,” he adds.
Since Earl’s first son, Earl, Jr. was killed in 2005, there have been 490 homicides in Little Rock. Of those, less than a third-127, remain unsolved.
Little comfort to a man looking to rid his darkest days.
My sunshine through the darkness…
“Well guys, we finally get to see the TV camera,” he says.
Even though you’re not here now it’s your love I see…
“Just keep watching over us. It’s going to be okay. The day is coming, we’ll get justice,” says the grieving father.
Your love will always be…my sunshine through the darkness…
Earl Williams says he’s still waiting for a conviction in two of his sons’ deaths.
He told Donna the organization Parents of Murdered Children has helped him immensely, although he does have health problems he blames on the killings.
See the attached web extra for more on the Zac Dunlap song written especially for this Donna Terrell segment that aired tonight.