License-plate readers, a doorbell camera and phone communications helped police reconstruct Tahj Hemphill’s movements before his wife was found dead.
SAVANNAH, Ga. — From an early-morning departure to a 6:30 p.m. 911 call, investigators say cameras and electronic records created a nearly hour-by-hour trail of Tahj Hemphill’s movements on the day his wife, Army Sgt. Denise Williams, was killed inside their Chatham County apartment.
The digital timeline has emerged as one of the clearest parts of the murder case against Hemphill, a 23-year-old former soldier who is accused of killing Williams, also 23, on June 30. Detective Jonathan Puhala testified at a preliminary hearing that police drew on automated license-plate readers, a doorbell camera, cellphone evidence, witness information and Hemphill’s own statements to build the sequence. The evidence does not answer every question about what occurred inside the apartment, but it places Hemphill and Williams at key locations and gives investigators fixed reference points before the emergency call that brought officers to the home.
The day began with Hemphill away from the apartment. Police said he was employed by FedEx at the time and left work at about 7:08 a.m. Investigators later used Flock license-plate cameras to track his vehicle toward Jacksonville, Florida, and then back toward Savannah. While he was away, Williams was trying to determine where he was, according to hearing testimony. She contacted Manuel Almestica Jr., Hemphill’s former husband, because she could not reach Hemphill directly. Almestica later told investigators he communicated with Hemphill and passed information back to Williams. Police obtained those communications as they reconstructed the morning.
By early afternoon, the investigation shifts from highway-camera records to the camera mounted at the couple’s apartment. Puhala testified that the doorbell system recorded Hemphill returning at about 12:30 p.m. A few minutes later, the camera recorded him coming outside with a firearm, according to the detective, before he went back into the apartment. That image became significant because investigators later recovered a Glock 43 9 mm handgun inside the residence. The hearing testimony did not establish publicly whether completed forensic testing had linked every recovered casing or sample to the gun, but the weapon and related evidence were submitted as part of the case.
Williams arrived about 20 minutes after Hemphill, at roughly 12:50 p.m. Investigators said the doorbell recording of her entering the apartment was the last known video showing her alive. That moment became a dividing line in the case: before it, police had records of both spouses moving separately through the day; after it, the public timeline is largely built from sounds reported by a neighbor, Hemphill’s later appearances on camera and physical evidence discovered inside the bedroom. Authorities have not released a continuous recording of what happened behind the apartment door.
A neighbor reported hearing what was believed to be a gunshot around 2 p.m., Puhala testified. The medical examiner later determined that Williams had suffered three gunshot wounds and numerous stab wounds. Investigators recovered shell casings and a knife along with the firearm. Because the medical evidence showed more than one type of injury, detectives processed the bedroom for multiple forms of physical evidence. They collected blood spatter and smear samples from the wall and carpet, a DNA sample from Hemphill, swabs from around his fingernails and other material from the room. In all, Puhala said 24 evidence items were collected.
The camera timeline resumes several hours after Williams was last seen entering. At about 4:30 p.m., Hemphill was recorded leaving the apartment to walk the couple’s dog, according to investigators. Witnesses also reported seeing him. WJCL reported that police reviewing the footage described blood-like staining on Hemphill’s shorts and around his fingernails. He was also reported to be without shoes. The dog walk is significant to investigators because it places Hemphill outside the apartment well before he sought police assistance and after the period in which authorities believe Williams was attacked.
Hemphill and the dog returned at about 6 p.m. Around half an hour later, police said he called 911. Puhala testified that Hemphill reported that his wife was dead and then disconnected. Officers and firefighters arrived at the Fords Pointe area apartment and entered when no one answered. Hemphill appeared from the rear of the residence and told officers he had shot Williams, according to testimony. Police found her on the floor in the bedroom. He was taken into custody at the scene, and detectives began the process of preserving the apartment as a crime scene.
The electronic trail did not end when officers arrived. Investigators seized both spouses’ phones, adding communications data to the video and vehicle records already available. The phones could help establish contacts, timing and other activity, although police have not publicly described a complete forensic extraction. The communications with Almestica were also important because they documented Williams’ effort to locate Hemphill before she returned home. According to Puhala, investigators discovered that Hemphill and Almestica had previously been married and divorced in Liberty County in January 2025. Police said they found no prior domestic violence incidents on record between Hemphill and Williams.
Alongside the camera evidence, detectives had to evaluate Hemphill’s statements about his mental and physical state. He told investigators he believed he had consumed “tainted coffee” at work. He also claimed Williams had acted or spoken strangely after he returned home and described an altercation between them. Police obtained Hemphill’s blood under a search warrant to test for chemicals or other substances that could be relevant to those statements. Puhala testified, however, that Hemphill appeared oriented when questioned, knew the date, understood that he was speaking to police and correctly identified the president. No verified public toxicology result has established that Hemphill consumed a contaminant.
A separate call from a relative added another piece to that issue. While officers were at the apartment, Hemphill’s cousin in Washington, D.C., contacted authorities to request a welfare check. Puhala testified that Hemphill had told the cousin he was “hallucinating.” The cousin reportedly considered arranging an Uber so Hemphill could go to a hospital, but that trip did not take place. The cousin’s account showed that Hemphill had described unusual symptoms to someone outside law enforcement. It did not determine whether those symptoms were medically verified or what may have caused them.
The people at the center of the timeline had both served in the Army. Williams was an active-duty sergeant assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart and served as an air traffic controller, according to her memorial information. Hemphill had served in the Regular Army from November 2021 until March 2025 as a motor transport operator and reached the rank of sergeant. By the time of Williams’ death, he was no longer on active Army service. Williams, a Fort Pierce, Florida, native, had served since 2021 and remained assigned to Fort Stewart.
The technological record is powerful because it anchors parts of June 30 to specific places and approximate times, but prosecutors will still have to prove what occurred during the stretches the cameras could not see. The doorbell system recorded arrivals and departures, not the events inside the bedroom. A neighbor supplied an approximate time for a gunshot, while physical evidence may be used to address what happened indoors. Hemphill’s statements, the toxicology testing and the phone evidence create additional questions that may become significant as the case moves forward.
At the July 23 preliminary hearing, Judge Crystal Harmon determined that the prosecution had shown probable cause and bound the murder case to Superior Court for consideration by a grand jury. Hemphill remains accused of murder and has not been convicted. Available reporting has listed him as held without bond in Chatham County. The case now turns from the police reconstruction of June 30 toward the formal felony process, where prosecutors will decide how the camera footage, physical evidence and other records fit into the charges they seek to pursue.
Author note: Last updated August 27, 2026.