BY DAN HILDEBRAN
State Attorney Melissa Nelson said a jury convicted a Keystone Heights man of killing a neighbor who tried to protect the defendant’s girlfriend in 2023.
The Jacksonville-based prosecutor said a Clay County jury found William Burroughs guilty of manslaughter with a weapon, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and domestic battery.
“With the verdict,” said Nelson in a news release, (Burroughs) faces up to 30 years in Florida State Prison as a prison release reoffender. The Honorable James Kallaher will sentence Burroughs at a later date.”
Nelson’s office said that on February 2, 2023, Burroughs got into a fight with his girlfriend. When she tried to escape their bedroom, Burroughs punched her repeatedly in the face. She yelled for help, and neighborhood children heard her screaming. The children told two adults — a man and a woman — who then attempted to intervene and deescalate the situation.
“Eventually the girlfriend was able to go into another room and call 911,” the office said. “One of the adults there to help blocked the door where the girlfriend was hiding in order to keep Burroughs away from her. He felt a sharp pain in his back and realized Burroughs had stabbed him.”
The other adult who was there to help grabbed Burroughs and began struggling with him. Eventually Burroughs was pulled off her, but she was bleeding on the ground and said she couldn’t breathe.
Clay County Fire Rescue took her to the hospital where she died from the blood loss caused by Burroughs’ attack. The other victim was taken to the hospital and treated for a stab wound.
