Mother of murder victim upset suspect released without notice

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Barbara Green has a lot of questions and few answers. Her daughter, Kimberle Johnson, was one of the victims in Montgomery’s 2013 Centennial Hill shooting.

“Absolutely unexplainable. You can’t even put words to it,” Green said.

She has long wondered what the world had in store for her only child, but now a new question plagues her mind. She questions why one of three defendants allegedly responsible for her daughter’s death is no longer behind bars.

“Why is he free? He’s a dangerous guy,” she added.

The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office confirms Jason McWilliams is out of prison. It came as a shock to the mother, who found out through a coworker.

“My question to them is why weren’t we notified,” Green said.

She claims the Alabama Department of Corrections failed to contact her and the families of other victims.

“You could have picked up the phone and called us,” she said. “You could have sent us a letter. We didn’t get an opportunity to go to any parole hearings or anything.”

The mother believes McWilliams got out through Alabama’s mandatory release program, which shortens some sentences.

WSFA 12 News reached out to the Department of Corrections Friday afternoon and has not received a response.

McWilliams has a violent history stretching back more than a decade. In addition to the Centennial Hill shooting, court documents reveal robbery and domestic violence charges.

Montgomery County District Attorney Daryl Bailey has long stressed the need to keep violent offenders off the streets.

“My concern is greatly for the city of Montgomery and the residents of Montgomery,” Green said.

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