(Lawrenceville, Ga., 11/25/24) – A Duluth man will serve jail time for killing his next-door neighbor while she lay in her bed when he fired his gun through a common wall from his apartment.

Maxwell Mathews Williamson, 25, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct – both misdemeanors – for fatally shooting 36-year-old Carlether Foley on Sept. 25, 2021. Williamson was sentenced to eight months to serve in jail followed by one year and four months of probation.

“This defendant’s reckless actions left a teenaged son without his mother and the teen’s grandmother without her only daughter,” said Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson. “It is vitally important that gun owners handle and store weapons responsibly. There must be accountability when gun owners are irresponsible and innocent victims are harmed.”

On the night of Sept. 25, 2021, Williamson told police that he was cleaning his handgun in his ground-floor Duluth apartment. He said it unintentionally fired, sending a shot through his bedroom wall. The single bullet went through the adjoining wall and struck Carlether Foley in her head as she lay in bed.

During trial, the jury heard testimony that Williamson placed a note on Foley’s apartment door before leaving the premises. He did not report the incident to police. Foley’s son, who was 17 at the time, returned home to find his mother dead and called emergency responders.

Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney John Williams and Assistant District Attorney Bradley McMahon prosecuted the case. They were assisted by Victim Witness Advocate Sara Gardner and DA’s Investigator Jeff Lamphier. Gwinnett County Police Detective A.M. Carter led the initial police investigation.