Williams pleads guilty to helping son and others flee after murder

A Minneapolis woman pleaded guilty to aiding an offender in connection to a fatal Bloomington hotel shooting in July, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced Friday.

Trimeanna Williams, 39, pleaded guilty on January 14 to one count of aiding an offender, accomplice after the fact, in relation to the shooting death of 39-year-old Jennifer Swaggert at a LaQuinta hotel in Bloomington. As part of the plea agreement, Williams will be sentenced to 74 months in prison. Her sentencing is scheduled for February 5.

During a remote hearing January 14, Williams admitted that her son, 18-year-old Dequan Smith, shot and killed Jennifer Swaggert. Williams also admitted to lying to police and fleeing with the children who were in the hotel room with her at the time, knowing that they were witnesses to the shooting.

According to the criminal complaint, in July 2020, Williams was at a LaQuinta hotel in Bloomington with several of her children, some of their friends and the victim, Swaggert. During the stay, Smith confronted and fired a single shot at the victim, which killed her. Then, they all fled.

Smith, who was a juvenile at the time, was charged with second-degree murder and prohibited person with a firearm. Prosecutors are seeking to have him tried as an adult. His next court appearance is scheduled for February 12 at 9 a.m.