(Above is a photo of the McDonald's where Andrew Williams murdered Martha Medina. Also pictured is the convicted killer. It's hard to believe but Williams was out on bail after being arrested for a previous murder. He was even wearing an ankle monitor. The Medina family not only blames Williams, but also the judge who set bond for this violent career criminal.)
The Jugging Murder
By Robert A. Waters
On the morning of September 23, 2021, Martha Medina, 71, pulled up to a Chase Bank ATM in Houston, Texas and made a small cash withdrawal. She then drove to McDonald's at 430 Uvalde Road, parked near the entrance, and walked inside to purchase takeout breakfasts for her family. As she walked back to her car holding a bag of food and her purse, she had no idea she'd been followed from the bank by three career criminals. On the streets, they call it "jugging."
Unlike Martha, a productive, well-respected member of her community, 41-year-old Andrew Williams had been a violent felon for most of his existence. In 2000, he spent time in the state prison for aggravated robbery. In 2014, Williams served time for fraud and feloniously using another person's identification. After being released, Williams ran down his girlfriend with his car but served little jail time.
And in 2019, he shot a bystander during an armed robbery, killing her. Doug Wylie wrote: "Williams...[was] involved in a 'drug deal gone bad' when Chima Ogbonnaya was shot in the back of the head and left for dead in a darkened, desolate parking lot." After Williams was arrested, the prosecutor urged 248th Criminal District Court Judge Hilary Unger to deny bond. However, the judge disagreed and soon the lifelong criminal was back on the streets of Houston, i.e., Hustletown.
At the time he murdered Martha Medina, Williams wore an ankle monitor. This helped police seal their case against him.
On that fatal day in 2021, Williams followed Martha to McDonald's. Two accomplices, Lawrence "Dirty" Earl Thomas and Felton Ford, allegedly assisted him. A police spokesperson said Thomas served as a lookout while Williams and Ford committed the robbery. Williams ran toward Medina as she was getting into her car. He quickly wrested her purse away and, in the scuffle, Medina fell to the ground. The robbers rushed back to the getaway car and climbed in. Williams, driving, sped through the McDonald's parking lot and ran over Medina, who was lying on the pavement.
Wylie wrote: "Williams waited for his victim to emerge from the eatery with take-out food in hand. Then, he began his assault with a strong-armed purse-snatching, got into his car, and during his attempted escape struck Medina, running her over and dragging her some distance beneath the vehicle."
Bystanders attempted to give Medina aid, but she was pronounced dead when she arrived at a local hospital.
The court recently convicted Williams of murdering Martha Medina and sentenced him to life in prison. (The other alleged suspects are awaiting trial.)
Judge Unger narrowly won reelection against Republican challenger Julian Ramirez. During her campaign, she made no bones about her beliefs. "Courts should find alternatives to incarceration with an eye towards rehabilitation," Unger wrote on her website.
Martha Medina would likely be alive today.
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