Kriti Mehrotra
Investigation Discovery’s ‘Living A Nightmare: Deadly Message’ examines the brutal murder of Julian Williams of Augusta, Georgia, in Beech Island, South Carolina. The 23-year-old was lured to his death in the early hours of March 25, 2017, by two men who pretended to be a woman interested in him. This catfish killing case was very deliberate, which is a fact that baffled the connecting communities to their very core. In the end, after about a month-long investigation, Julian’s assailants were positively identified as Antonio Deaunte Simpkins and Steven Ray Jackson. So, let’s find out where they currently are, shall we?
Who Are Antonio Simpkins and Steven Jackson?
Both Antonio Deaunte Simpkins, 24, and Steven Ray Jackson, 26, were arrested shortly after 10 a.m. on April 26, 2017, for their respective roles in Julian’s disappearance and murder. The local authorities received several tips that helped them link Antonio to the matter first. After all, it turned out that Julian and Antonio had been dating the same woman for quite a while, which the latter was not happy about. Upon digging deeper, the police also uncovered that Antonio conspired with Steven to remove his competition for good. For this, they had decided to catfish him.
On March 25, Antonio had enticed Julian to leave his home in Augusta and travel to South Carolina through texts. So, when Julian arrived at their agreed-upon destination, he was shocked to find Antonio waiting for him with a loaded firearm in hand instead of a prospective lady partner. That’s when he was attacked and killed. According to records, Steven helped Antonio bury Julian in the shallow grave behind an abandoned trailer on the 200 block of Spider Web Road. Julian’s remains were left to decompose there until the very day his perpetrators were arrested.
Where Are Antonio Simpkins and Steven Jackson Now?
While Antonio was charged with a single count each of kidnapping and murder, Steven Jackson faced the lesser charges of abduction and neglect in reporting a crime in connection to Julian Williams’ case. The sole reason for this was that the police could determine that Steven had nothing to do with the murder weapon. Initially, while both men were denied bond, official documents show that Steven was held at the Aiken County Detention Center until he posted a bond of $125,000 on January 22, 2018. With no court appearances scheduled, the charges against him still seem to be pending.
As for Antonio, after he entered a not guilty plea, he faced a three-day-long trial, at the end of which he was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Therefore, today, the 28-year-old is incarcerated at the maximum-security Perry Correctional Institution in Pelzer, South Carolina. As per the State Department of Corrections inmate records, Antonio has been a good prisoner, with no escape attempts and no disciplinary sanctions against his name. Along with that, he currently appears to be working as a Wardkeeper Assistant behind bars to earn some money.
Read More: How Did Julian Williams Die?
