A teenager has admitted that when he was 15 he drove behind a motorist heading home from a St. Paul grocery store and killed her with a gunshot to the head at random.
Melvin D. Williams, of St. Paul, agreed to plead guilty Friday in Ramsey County District Court to second-degree murder during a drive-by shooting in connection with the killing of 34-year-old Yuliya "Julia" Li on Feb. 16, 2022.
The plea agreement between the defense and the prosecution calls for Williams to receive a sentence of no more than 32 years and two months. Under the deal, the defense reserves the right to seek a lesser term. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 7.
If Williams receives the maximum allowed under the plea agreement, he could expect to serve about 20 years in prison and the balance on supervised release.
Williams was arrested soon after the shooting and charged initially by what is called a juvenile petition. The case was later moved to adult court, clearing the way for the potential of a lengthy stint in prison.
Police have said it appeared Li was targeted at random and did nothing to provoke the violence.
In 2007, Li moved from Kazakhstan to study at the University of Minnesota, where she earned a bachelor's degree in economics and global studies.
She left the Twin Cities to work in brand management and marketing for General Electric and Procter & Gamble before returning to St. Paul in 2016 to pursue a master's degree in business administration from the University of St. Thomas. Li joined H.B. Fuller in a marketing role in July 2017, and most recently worked as a global business director.
