Man, 20, Faces Life In Prison For Murder, Attempted Murder Of Solano County Women

SOLANO COUNTY, CA -- A Vallejo man will spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading no contest Thursday to the murder of a Suisun City woman and the attempted murder of a Vallejo woman last year.

William David King, 20, pleaded no contest to the first-degree murder while lying in wait with a bat and robbery of Cheryl Sherwood, 63, of Suisun City on Feb. 3, 2016, and the willful, deliberate and premeditated
attempted murder with a hammer of Vallejo resident Christine Joens, 38, in Vallejo on Feb. 2, 2016.

King will be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for Sherwood's murder and a consecutive life in prison term for the attempted murder of Joens, Solano County District Attorney Krishna Abrams said in a news release.

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The District Attorney's Office decided not to pursue the death penalty against King after consulting with the victims' families and the Vallejo and Fairfield police departments, and considering the facts that King was 19 and had no criminal record at the time of the offenses, Abrams said.

Joens was at the Wells Fargo Bank at 1702 Tennessee St. in Vallejo when King struck her from behind with a hammer, and continued to bludgeon her as she lay on the ground, Abrams said.

Joens tried to push her money to King, who took it and continued the assault as Joens tried to soften the blows to her head with her cell phone, Abrams said. Joens suffered severe injuries but survived.

King was waiting for Sherwood to leave a Macy's store in Fairfield before he approached her car and attacked her with a bat, Abrams said. King had been hiding out of view of parking lot surveillance cameras before the
attack.

Sherwood suffered several skull fractures and contusions to her shoulders, abdomen, knee and wrist. She died on Feb. 5, 2016.

Joens testified at King's preliminary hearing in January and February this year, Abrams said.

During police interviews, King admitted to committing the assaults. A trial date was to be set today in Solano County Superior Court.

Instead, King entered the no contest pleas to all the charges against him and he is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 17.

Abrams, who prosecuted the case, said no punishment will erase the damage King inflicted on the victims and families.

"However, it can provide some sense of closure for both these families and ensure our community that this defendant will never be able to harm another person in his lifetime. It is our belief that justice will have
been served," Abrams said.

By Bay City News Service

Photo via Solano County District Attorney's Office