Toledoan sought in murder makes plea on Facebook

Rishad Williams, 21, is arraigned in Toledo Municipal Court. He stood with public defender James MacHarg and remains jailed.

THE BLADE/DAVE ZAPOTOSKY
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Rishad Williams, 21, is arraigned in Toledo Municipal Court. He stood with public defender James MacHarg and remains jailed.

Still wanted by police, Tyrone Hoskins, Jr., seems ready to make a deal for his surrender.

Hoskins

Posted on a Facebook page belonging to the 23-year-old Toledo man — one of two charged with murder in the shooting death of Michael Williams, Jr. — is the suggestion that, if police release to the media the video surveillance from the night of the shooting, he would turn himself in.

“Show the tape like yall did at the route 66 … den I turn maself n,” was part of a status update on Facebook made Monday just after 11 a.m.

Minutes later, “(?) Y hide the truth from the media and the public an try 2 make dem judge a book by the cover yall persenting #btw we innocent,” was posted.

Police declined to release the video Tuesday, citing the ongoing investigation.

Sgt. Joe Heffernan said instead of trying to strike a deal on Facebook that Mr. Hoskins “needs to turn himself in and face the music.”

A man who claimed to be Mr. Hoskins called a Blade reporter from a blocked phone number Thursday evening and left a voice message.

The caller asked The Blade to show the surveillance video taken from the after-hours club in the 1500 block of Ottawa Drive where the shooting happened early Feb. 2.

The man also claims Michael Williams, Jr., 24, of Toledo was firing shots Feb. 2.

Michael Williams was shot twice, once in a leg and once in the head, according to an autopsy performed by the Lucas County Coroner’s Office.

After The Blade published a story about Mr. Hoskins’ co-defendant, Rishad Williams, 21, posting about his innocence on Facebook, at least a dozen people called the newsroom claiming to be witnesses. All but one declined to give their names or phone numbers.

Rishad Williams turned himself in Monday to police and was arraigned Tuesday in Toledo Municipal Court.

He was ordered to remain in the Lucas County jail in lieu of $1 million bond.

A caller to The Blade on Monday, who claimed to be calling at the behest of Rishad Williams, asked a reporter to “be fair” in reporting and to, again, release surveillance video.

Police ask anyone with information to call the Crime Stopper program at 419-255-1111. Mr. Hoskins is described as 5 feet, 7 inches tall, 250 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

Contact Taylor Dungjen at tdungjen@theblade.com, or 419-724-6054, or on Twitter @taylordungjen.