A Hillsborough County jury on Friday found 39-year-old Curtis Christopher Williams guilty of first-degree murder in the New Year’s Day 2025 shooting outside a North Tampa bar that left 45-year-old Joseph Reese dead. Reese was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, after what prosecutors described as a calculated attack captured on camera and backed up by witness accounts.
Verdict and evidence
Jurors returned the guilty verdict after seeing surveillance video and hearing testimony that prosecutors said captured several shots and the tense moments leading up to the confrontation, according to WFLA. Prosecutors argued that the combination of video, witness statements and other evidence supported a charge of premeditated first-degree murder. Defense attorneys, who tried to poke holes in that narrative throughout the trial, have not yet publicly commented on the outcome.
Scene, arrest and charges
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says deputies were called around 1:43 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2025, to reports of gunfire outside the Tally Ho Bar Lounge & Grill in North Tampa, where they found Reese suffering from at least one gunshot wound. He was transported to a hospital, where he later died, according to a Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office press release.
Detectives, working with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, arrested Williams on Jan. 3, 2025, in Pinellas Park. He was booked on charges that included premeditated first-degree murder and felon in possession of a firearm. “Our detectives worked seamlessly with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office,” the Hillsborough agency said in its statement, highlighting the quick cross-county coordination that led to Williams’ arrest just days after the shooting.
What jurors heard
In court, witnesses testified that Williams was wearing a mask when he approached Reese, and several gunshots can be heard on the surveillance clip played for the jury, according to WFLA. Prosecutors said those details underscored premeditation and intent, arguing that the masked approach and rapid gunfire were no accident.
The defense pushed back, using cross-examination to question identifications and the precise timing of events on the video, suggesting that what appeared clear-cut to the state was far less certain from the defense table. Jurors ultimately sided with prosecutors and returned the first-degree murder conviction.
Next steps and sentence
According to Tampa Bay 28, Williams faces a potential life sentence if convicted, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Elyse Roenick and Patrick Murphy. Prosecutors said the evidence presented at trial supported a theory of premeditation that would trigger the state’s toughest penalties.
Hoodline first reported on Williams’ arrest and the charges last January in our coverage of the Tampa man charged in the New Year’s bar shooting, and Friday’s verdict marks a major turn in a case that has drawn significant local attention.
