United States v. Williams

── United States v. Williams ── Court: Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Date: June 02, 2026 Category: Direct Criminal Case: 24-50745 Document: 207-1 Page: 1 Date Filed: 06/02/2026 United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit ____________ FILED June 2, 2026 No. 24-50745 ____________ Lyle W. Cayce Clerk United States of America, Plaintiff—Appellee, versus Atorius Marquis Williams; Demonta Daniels, Defendants—Appellants, consolidated with _____________ No. 24-50769 _____________ United States of America, Plaintiff—Appellee, versus Trashawn Lamar Alexander Defendant—Appellant. Case: 24-50745 Document: 207-1 Page: 2 Date Filed: 06/02/2026 ______________________________ Appeals from the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas USDC Nos. 6:20-CR-155-3, 6:20-CR-155-4, 6:20-CR-155-5 ______________________________ Before Wiener, Haynes, and Graves, Circuit Judges. Per Curiam: * These consolidated cases arise from final criminal judgments and sentences against Atorius Marquis Williams, Demonta Daniels, and Trashawn Lamar Alexander (collectively, “Defendants”). Defendants were indicted for various charges related to their involvement with a criminal organization referred to as “Killers with Aggression” (hereinafter “KWA”), including various murders and robberies. The district court held a jury trial, the jury found Defendants guilty on all counts, and the district court sentenced Defendants to terms including life imprisonment. On appeal, Defendants assert that the district court’s jury instructions on the firearms charges against them were defective, and Alexander argues that the evidence was legally insufficient to establish a “pattern of racketeering activity” for his charge under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”), 18 U.S.C. § 1962. We AFFIRM. I. Background Per the operative indictment, KWA was a criminal “organization engaged in and affecting interstate and foreign commerce by, among other things, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to rob persons engaged in the distribution of controlled substances,” and which “historically encompassed” the “East Temple” area of Temple, Texas. In _____________________ * This opinion is not designated for publication. See 5th Cir. R. 47.5. 2 Case: 24-50745 Document: 207-1 Page: 3 Date Filed: 06/02/2026 No. 24-50745 c/w No. 24-50769 October 2020, Defendants, alongside seven other individuals, were indicted for multiple counts related to their involvement with KWA. The district court designated this matter a “complex case” in December 2020 and tolled the applicable speedy trial provisions. A first superseding indictment was filed in October 2023, and a second superseding indictment was filed against Defendants in December 2023. 1 In this operative indictment, a grand jury charged Defendants with eight counts: (1) Count One, which charged Defendants