CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to 26 years in prison for strangling a 15-year-old girl he was “dating.” Joshua Williams, 25, already had a strangulation case pending in Colorado when first responders found Amarise Parker dead in his closet on December 10, 2023, officials said.
Amarise’s parents had filed several missing persons reports for her, including late last November, about two weeks before she died. She returned home after that, only to go missing once again.
Authorities learned she had been staying with Williams in the 7200 block of South Phillips. He claimed to be “dating” the girl. She called her mom to pick her up on December 11. But she went missing again after going to school.
Amarise stayed at Williams’ house again that night, prosecutors said. Neighbors reported hearing the couple argue through the night and into the next morning. The next evening, Williams called his cousin and a friend and told them that Amarise was foaming at the mouth and he didn’t know what to do, prosecutors said.
His cousin called 911, and paramedics found Amarise lying inside an open closet at Williams’ home, prosecutors said. A necklace was found in her throat. The medical examiner ruled her death a homicide by strangulation.
Investigators searched Williams’ phone and learned that he had searched for dozens of suspicious topics, including murder, strangulation, the death penalty, Amarise’s name, and “how to explain asphyxiation death,” officials alleged.
His phone also contained videos of Amarise that were recorded after she died, prosecutors said.
Williams must serve 100% of his murder sentence, giving him an expected release date of December 10, 2049. Judge Alfredo Maldonado oversaw the case and sentencing.
