Monica Williams pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and a firearm charge in the 2024 death of restaurant employee Anitra West.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A woman has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a Church’s Chicken employee following a drive-thru dispute in Memphis more than two years ago.
Monica Williams, 47, pleaded guilty Friday in the death of Anitra West, 48, according to the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office. Williams also pleaded guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Prosecutors said she received an effective 30-year sentence, resolving a case that began with a July 2024 confrontation at a restaurant in the Orange Mound neighborhood.
The shooting happened July 8, 2024, at the Church’s Chicken on Park Avenue. Prosecutors said Williams and West, who was working at the restaurant, had an exchange involving a food order in the drive-thru. Williams left the restaurant after the exchange and later returned to the property.
According to an arrest affidavit, West went outside after the argument to get some air. A coworker told police that West had been upset by the encounter. Minutes later, a gunshot was heard, and a vehicle was seen leaving the restaurant parking lot. Employees found West outside and called for help.
Memphis police officers responded to the restaurant and found West with a gunshot wound. She was taken to Regional One Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Investigators used surveillance video and witness accounts as they worked to identify the person involved in the shooting.
Authorities initially sought a woman who had been seen driving a teal-colored SUV and who was described at the time as having purple hair. An affidavit later detailed how investigators connected Williams to the vehicle and the confrontation at the restaurant. Williams was arrested about a week after the shooting and originally faced a first-degree murder charge.
The guilty plea to second-degree murder ended the case without a trial on the original murder charge. The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office announced the disposition Monday and said Associate Deputy District Attorney Monica Timmerman prosecuted the case. Prosecutors did not include additional details about how the 30-year effective sentence was divided between the murder and firearm convictions.
West’s relatives described her after the shooting as a dedicated worker who took her responsibilities seriously. Her former husband, Loranzo West, told Action News 5 after the sentencing that she had a lasting effect on the people around her and said he was a better person because of her.
The sentencing closes the central criminal prosecution stemming from West’s death, more than two years after the confrontation outside the Park Avenue restaurant. Williams now faces an effective 30 years in prison under the plea agreement announced by Shelby County prosecutors.
Author note: Last updated September 22, 2026.