'Embodiment of evil': Pontiac man sentenced to life in prison for killing WWJ anchor

Before a Macomb County judge on Thursday sentenced a Pontiac man to life in prison for killing a WWJ news anchor and assaulting his family, prosecutors made him watch a video of police rescuing the 10-year-old boy he had tied up and hit with a hammer.

The video showed the officers finding WWJ anchor Jim Matthews’ body on the ground in his Chesterfield Township home and their desperation to find Matthews’ son, who they knew was in the house somewhere.

They found the boy tied up in a closet, covered in blood after having been hit in the head with a hammer. His injuries were severe, police said.

Macomb County Assistant Prosecutor Steve Fox wanted that video to be one of the last things Arthur Williamson saw before he went to prison for the rest of his life.

“I hope he sees some of the images and hears these sounds for the rest of his life,” Fox said.

Macomb County Circuit Court Judge James Biernat said it was good that Williamson would never see life outside of prison again.

Williamson pleaded no contest to fatally stabbing and beating Matthews with a hammer and to assaulting his two children and long-time girlfriend in September 2022. Biernat sentenced him to life in prison.

“You’re a pedophile, you’re a murderer and you’re the embodiment of evil,” Biernat said. “The only thing that’s amazing is you didn’t kill all of them."

The judge asked Williamson if it was true that he tried to kill himself after the rampage. When Williamson replied that it was, Biernat responded: "Try to commit suicide before you do any of this. Take yourself out so you don’t kill people and try to rape 5-year-olds.”

Williamson spoke little during the sentencing hearing Thursday; he apologized twice and otherwise let his attorney Joan Morgan do the talking.

“He has expressed nothing but remorse,” Morgan said. “It’s unusual for someone to plead guilty to first-degree murder with a mandatory sentence and Mr. Williamson has chosen to do that.”

Nichole Guertin, Matthews’ long-term girlfriend, said Williamson “took our world away.”

“Everything has changed for the worst (since Matthews died),” Guertin said. “The world has lost its beauty and sunshine as well.”

Her son, the boy who was found severely injured in the closet, wrote a victim impact statement that was read aloud by prosecutors Thursday.

“I hate you for what you did to me and my family,” the boy wrote. “You ruined all of our lives. … You put me and my mom and my sister through hours of hell. …You are evil. You left me with trauma. We didn’t deserve what you did.”

He and his sister are living with another family member, who also wrote a statement that prosecutors read. She vowed to raise the kids “knowing nothing but love so they can grow in spite of you.”

“The wounds you left us will stay with us forever, but they will heal,” the family member, the children’s aunt, wrote. “You don’t deserve words, you don’t deserve a single moment of my time. No amount of jail time will ever fix what you broke.”

Jennifer Nicholai, Matthews’ sister-in-law, said Williamson robbed them off their family and took something that could never be replaced. He robbed her niece and nephew of their childhood and left Guertin “still recovering from this nightmare.”

Guertin escaped the home with their 5-year-old daughter and flagged down a bystander to call police.

Guertin testified that Matthews was working the midnight shift at WWJ when Williamson came over to their house to smoke crack and bring heroin. When she refused to role play and tie herself up, Guertin said Williamson slashed her throat and zip-tied her wrists and ankles, threatening her children to keep her quiet.

When Matthews came home, Williamson hit him with a hammer and stabbed him before slitting his throat, Guertin testified. When police arrived, they found him in the basement of the Hidden Harbor Condominiums where Matthews and his family lived. He appeared to have overdosed and tried to die by suicide, police said.

Williamson pleaded no contest to first-degree murder, two counts of assault with intent to murder and three counts of unlawful imprisonment.

kberg@detroitnews.com