Woman decorating tree with boyfriend’s children is killed by his ex-wife, police say

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A woman decorating a Christmas tree with her boyfriend’s 3-year-old twins was shot to death by the man’s ex-wife, police say.

Lisa Vilate Williams, 26, was killed Sunday evening in an apartment in the Salt Lake City suburb of Midvale. Chelsea Watrous Cook, 32 — a high school teacher — has been arrested.

Cook reportedly showed up to drop off cold medicine for one of her children, according to a probable cause statement from the Unified Police Department. Williams and the children had made ornaments and were decorating the tree when the woman arrived. The children’s father was not in the building at the time.

Cook came into the apartment and refused to leave, locking herself in the bathroom and calling 911. The content of that call has not been released.

When Cook left the bathroom, she pulled a gun from her coat pocket and, in front of the children, shot Williams at least twice in the chest, police say. Her ex-husband, who had returned to the apartment, restrained her until police arrived.

Cook is being held at the Salt Lake County Jail on $1 million bail.

Williams’ sister and mother told the Associated Press that the slaying came after Cook bullied Williams online and harassed her for months.

After the arrest, Cook was fired from her job teaching health and yoga at a high school in Lehi.

School officials had apparently not been aware that she was facing misdemeanor charges for a domestic violence incident on Oct. 16. In that case, Cook had pleaded not guilty on Nov. 13 to assault and two counts of domestic violence in front of a child. No further details were available.

Court records show her divorce was made final in January.

Williams’ obituary says she was one of 26 siblings raised in Colorado City, Ariz., the stronghold of the Mormon fundamentalist sect the Council of Friends, which advocates plural marriage. She had moved to the Salt Lake area three years ago to care for a sister.

Share this: Print

View more on The Mercury News