Buford Man Sentenced to Two Life Terms for 2021 Murder of Girlfriend and Her Teen Son

BUFORD, GA — A Gwinnett County jury has convicted 29-year-old William Jerome Adams of murdering his live-in girlfriend, Mary Lindsay, and her 15-year-old son, Atif Muhammad, Jr., in a March 2021 double homicide.

Adams was found guilty of two counts of felony murder and two counts of aggravated assault. He was sentenced to two consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.

On March 26, 2021, Lindsay’s 19-year-old daughter and her 15-year-old sister—Muhammad’s twin—were called to check on Lindsay, who had not been heard from in days. The older daughter crawled through a window to enter the house, where she found her 8-year-old brother asleep in their mother’s bedroom. Inside a locked bedroom, she discovered Lindsay and Muhammad deceased and contacted authorities.

Investigators determined the victims had been killed on March 24. Three 9mm shell casings were recovered from the scene, matching ammunition found in the master bedroom. Police learned that Adams had taken $2,000 from Lindsay’s bank account before attempting to flee to Mexico under an assumed name and without a passport. He was arrested by Laredo police at the border within a day of the murder warrant being issued.

At trial, Muhammad’s twin sister testified that she and her brother had found a 9mm handgun in their mother’s room 10 days before the murders and took a photo of it. Their mother confirmed the gun belonged to Adams. The jury also heard evidence of Adams’ controlling and abusive behavior, including a photo Lindsay had emailed to herself documenting an injury caused by Adams.

District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said, “The verdict and sentence are fitting for a defendant who violently took the life of a mother and son and stole from them. We mourn with the victims’ family and hope that the outcome of the trial gives them some closure and justice.”

The case was prosecuted by Managing Assistant District Attorney Michele Sims and Assistant District Attorney Kevin Majeske. The Laredo Police Department, Gwinnett County Police Department, and Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office assisted in the investigation.