Woman was granted protective order from boyfriend the day he killed her, then himself

Starsha Williams sat in court early Monday, listening as the judge granted the mother of two the temporary protective order she had filed against her longtime boyfriend, Michael Betterson.

The order became paperwork, which was processed early Monday afternoon and soon viewable by law enforcement, according to the family violence intervention program.

But as the business day came to a close, it hadn’t yet been served. And without other safety nets in place, the order wasn’t enough to keep him from her.

As the sun set Monday, police said Betterson shot Williams dead before turning the gun on himself. Both were 29.

“The timing — that is the very thing that just made all of us who heard about it and saw it so bothered by it,” Amber Batchelor, the director of special programs at Safe Nest, said. “We’re always bothered by someone who loses their life to domestic violence, but the fact that it was that very day?”

The shooting happened after an argument between the two inside their 4000 block of North Browndeer Circle home, near Alexander Road and Tenaya Way, police said. Williams called police just before 5:30 p.m. and asked for help, then hung up.

When a dispatcher redialed the number, the boyfriend answered, then also hung up. Just before 5:40 p.m., they were both dead.

In that window of time, each of them also called family. As police raced to the house — treating the call like a hostage situation — Betterson shot and killed Williams.

While police were on the way and Williams was left inside, Betterson came outside and spoke with relatives who showed up after his phone call. Then he went back inside and shot himself, detectives said.

Because the protective order Williams was granted Monday hadn’t yet been served, authorities hadn’t yet addressed Betterson about the situation.

“When you get served, then you know, ‘OK, I can’t do this,’” said Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Jesse Roybal.

Batchelor, with Safe Nest, shied away from drawing conclusions about the timing.

“We can’t speculate; ‘Did someone tell him that that’s what she was doing that morning?’” Batchelor said. “The two people who could tell us no longer can.”

Williams was a nurse’s aide at Bunker Elementary School, less than 3 miles from her northwest valley home, school district officials confirmed.

“Ms. Williams was an integral part of our staff in enhancing a positive community for our students and employees,” a letter the school sent home with students Wednesday read. “She will always be remembered as a part of our school family, and the staff and students will miss her.”

The letter added that district grief counselors would be available to students and staff who requested the assistance.

At the time of the shooting, Williams would have normally been on the way to T-ball practice with her two young boys, but a cousin called about 20 minutes before to tell her that practice was canceled.

Neither of Williams’ sons were home at the time of the apparent murder-suicide soon after.

“For some victims, protective orders do prevent future violence,” Batchelor said. “And for some, unfortunately it doesn’t. And when it doesn’t it’s a horrific result.”

Batchelor said other resources are available to domestic violence victims, including a 24/7 hotline that is manned by crisis experts at 702-646-4981. Those experts can help with safety planning before and after a protective order is served, and they can help women and men in abusive situations get out safely.

“That safety planning has to happen at every juncture; it can’t be just, ‘Oh, this is the day you go to court,’ and ‘this is the day it’s served,’” Batchelor said. “It’s when the kids are at school; it’s when you’re at work; it’s when you’re staying at your aunt’s house.”

“Starsha did what Starsha needed to do,” said Batchelor, who also noted that she can’t be sure if Williams had the opportunity to explore all her options before Betterson cut her time short.

“Both of these families are now traumatized,” she said. “The children are now left without parents. It’s just sad.”

Contact Rachel Crosby at rcrosby@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Find her on Twitter: @rachelacrosby