Athens man sentenced to prison for shooting his weed supplier

By Joe Johnson

An Athens man has been found guilty of shooting his marijuana supplier and was sentenced to 25 years with the first 15 years to be served in prison.

Following a trial in Superior Court, a jury last month convicted 52-year-old David Ray Wilhelm of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

Judge Eric Norris sentenced him to 15 years in prison and 10 on probation.

The crime occurred in January 2025 when Wilhelm shot 54-year-old Anthony Antonio Williams on a sidewalk along Nellie B Avenue.

According to police and court records, Wilhelm was upset about a purchase he made from his longtime dealer and he’d been looking for him.

In calls to the man’s mother just prior to the shooting he reportedly warned that Williams “was in trouble.”

Police said that in the encounter on the east Athens sidewalk he shot Williams multiple times and left him for dead.

When arrested a month later, Wilhelm was in possession of the gun, which was equipped with a silencer.