East Hills woman gets 15-30 years for boyfriend's killing

Family members from both sides of a fatal domestic dispute appeared in a Pittsburgh court Thursday to speak on behalf of their loved ones.

Charlotte Hill, an East Hills woman who fatally shot her boyfriend in 2023 after a fight, has always been a kind, honest, and empathetic mother of two, her family and friends told a judge.

“This tragic event does not define who she is,” said Shantel Pizaro, Hill’s friend. “She is not someone who seeks trouble — or takes this lightly.”

The victim, Antoine Williams Jr., 30, also was kind and selfless, several of his family members and friends testified. And he didn’t deserve to die.

“There’s a hollowing feeling that can’t be filled no matter how hard I try,” said Shakira Allen-Smith, Williams’ cousin, who wept heavily and shook while reading her victim statement. “It’s hard to even talk about him in the past tense.”

Hill — who appeared in court Thursday, shackled at the wrists and ankles, in a fluorescent yellow Allegheny County Jail jumpsuit — previously had pleaded guilty to third-degree murder in connection with the Nov. 4, 2023 fatal shooting.

Allegheny County Common Pleas Edward J. Borkowski didn’t address either individuals’ character. But he did try to interpret their actions.

The judge called Hill’s apology to Williams’ family in court this week “a sincere statement of remorse” and added that allegations of past abuse appeared to be “confirmed.”

“But, Ms. Hill took it upon herself to introduce deadly force,” Borkowski said.

He then sentenced Hill to 15 to 30 years in jail, which falls within the punishment’s standard range.

Hill’s mother quickly collapsed from her chair, appearing to faint as she knocked her head on a bar nearby, after Borkowski read the sentence. Hill’s teenage son, agitated, stormed out of the courtroom.

“(Hill) has said, ‘It’s the only thing I could’ve done — and that’s not true,’” Allegheny County Assistant District Attorney Don Presutti said. “She did pull the trigger that day.”

Pittsburgh police responded to an apartment complex on Park Hill Drive’s 2100 block around 11:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning in 2023 on reports of a shooting. Police said seven rounds were fired.

Hill had worked until 2 a.m. Saturday and gone out drinking before coming home, according to a criminal complaint and witness testimony. She awoke around 10 a.m. to Williams banging on her door and yelling. A physical fight ensued inside the apartment.

Hill, who didn’t live with Williams, couldn’t recall how the pair ended up outside, police said.

Surveillance footage showed Hill firing several rounds, according to a complaint. Williams was out of the frame in the video.

“It should be noted that the victim is at a distance,” the complaint said. “At the time that Hill fired shots, she was not subjected to any contact with the victim. In addition, Hill retreated back into the apartment building after firing the shots.”

On Thursday, Borkowski handed down no jail time on two lesser charges, which alleged Hill threatened a witness at the scene of the shooting. In November, Hill pleaded guilty to intimidating a witness and making terroristic threats.

“Shut up, (expletive), or I will shoot you, too,” Hill told the witness at the scene, according to the complaint.

“I’ve never known (Hill) to do anything like this,” said Ja’Keil Hill, Hill’s 17-year-old son, in court Thursday. “My mom is the most caring person I know … (She) would not do something like this unless she was in danger.”

Prosecutors and Williams’ family said otherwise. They portrayed Hill as a vengeful woman who shot her boyfriend multiple times in the back.

Hill previously had told Williams that “leaving me is a death sentence,” according to Shatwanda Williams, the victim’s sister.

“We ask for justice, not because it will ease the pain,” she added, “but for the sake of a man … who had so much love to give.”

Family and friends repeatedly testified that Hill shot Williams in the back. Williams’ autopsy indicated the victim was shot in the side, Borkowski noted.

“He walked away … and he tried to de-escalate,” said Lisa Allen, Williams’ aunt. “He was murdered in cold blood by someone he cared for. And that hurts.”

“Many people face hardship,” Allen added. “But hardship does not excuse violence.”