Woman charged with murder of man found dead in vacant apartment complex
BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC) - Birmingham police have charged a 25-year-old woman with capital murder in the death of a man whose body was found in vacant apartment complex the day after Thanksgiving.
Brittany Odom of Birmingham is accused of killing Borapa Williams, 42, also of Birmingham. Odom is being held in the Jefferson County Jail on no bond, according to Lt. Sean Edwards with the Birmingham Police Department. Police have not yet released a motive in the killing.
Police said a person on a bike discovered Williams' body at an abandoned building in the 100 block of 15th Place Southwest. Officers were called to the scene around 8:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 27.
The victim appeared to suffer from a single gunshot wound to his head, according to BPD Sgt. Bryan Shelton. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
The vacant apartments have been called Larkway Gardens and James Madison Apartments. They've been abandoned for about 15 years and were declared a public nuisance by the city council in October.
The owner requested more time to improve the apartments.
Sheree King, who used to work at the apartments, lives across the street and said she's concerned about the safety of children in the area.
"It has been homeless people around here. You can see cars pulling up, guys getting out, bringing bags into vacant buildings. Could be drugs, who knows," King said.
"We have small kids around here, they be outside playing every day, they're playing ball, etc. and I was very concerned about what was going on. And to see this going on in our neighborhood, it was quite frightening because it's very close to home," King said.
Birmingham city councilwoman Shelia Tyson represents the district and has pushed for the destruction of the apartments. She said she was "outraged" by the discovery of a body in the empty apartment complex.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Birmingham Police Department at 205-254-1764.
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