A Gravesend man has been hit with an 18-year state prison sentence for a 2020 shooting that killed 20-year-old Ethan Williams as he sat on a Bushwick stoop, closing out a long-running Brooklyn homicide case that began with an indictment in 2022 and ended in a manslaughter plea earlier this year.
Sentence, plea and supervision
William Freeman pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 18 years in prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision, according to News 12 New York. Prosecutors said the deal wrapped up a case that originally charged him with homicide and weapons offenses before both sides agreed to the reduced count.
The shooting and charges
According to prosecutors, the shooting unfolded around 2:30 a.m. on October 24, 2020, outside an Airbnb at 42 Eldert Street in Bushwick. Williams was sitting on a stoop with friends when gunfire broke out, and he was struck in the chest and later died. As described by the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, Freeman was subsequently indicted on murder and criminal possession of a weapon charges before the case shifted toward a negotiated manslaughter plea.
Arrest and motive, according to prosecutors
Freeman fled after the shooting and remained at large for more than a year, prosecutors said. He was eventually arrested during a traffic stop on November 3, 2022, and, according to the prosecutor's account outlined in the Brooklyn Eagle, admitted he fired because he believed someone in the group on the stoop was connected to his cousin’s killing weeks earlier.
Remembering the victim
Williams, a 20-year-old Indiana University student visiting New York, was remembered by his family as a budding filmmaker and a young man deeply invested in his community, according to local coverage at the time. ABC7 reported on his family’s grief and reaction in the days after the shooting, and Indianapolis partners later worked together to create a memorial skatepark in his name at Willard Park. The park and local skate advocates have described the space as a tribute to his love of skateboarding and community life. Indy Parks & Recreation provides details on the Willard Park skate features and the memorial naming in his honor.
What the plea means legally
Freeman’s manslaughter plea, which was accepted by a Brooklyn court this year, reduced the original murder charges filed in 2022 but still resulted in a lengthy prison term. As prosecutors have previously emphasized, an indictment is an accusatory instrument, and the final plea and sentence reflect the agreement reached between the Homicide Bureau, defense counsel, and the court.
The sentence caps more than five years of investigative and courtroom work tied to the October 2020 killing and offers a window into how prosecutors are still pursuing accountability in shootings that trace back to the pandemic-era surge in gun violence.
