Black Widow Sentenced

Keller black widow Michele Williams gets 60 years for husband's murder

After deliberating for less than two hours, jurors sentenced Michele Williams to 60 years in prison for murder and 10 years for tampering with evidence. The sentences will be served concurrently. She had faced up to life in prison.

Michele, 45, shot and killed her husband, Greg Williams, in 2011. She initially told authorities that an intruder shot Greg, but later changed her story to say that her husband committed suicide — which was her defense at trial. She never took the stand.

Before deciding Michele’s fate, the jury listened to a variety of testimony about the convicted murderer's character.

The Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office called a parade of witnesses to discuss Michele’s behavior while out on bond, including allegations of faking a pregnancy, tampering with her GPS monitor and taking a secret beach vacation with her boyfriend.

Michele could be eligible for parole in 30 years, when she will be 75 years old. A previous plea deal that Michele ultimately rejected would have put her away for just 18 years, with a possibility of parole after six.

"This circumstantial evidence case involved convoluted facts, strange twists and turns, and complicated questions of law," deputy chief district attorney Jack Strickland said in a statement. "The credit for this conviction and well-deserved sentence belongs to this conscientious and able jury."

In a powerful victim impact statement, Greg's mother, Betty Middlebrooks, spoke directly to Michele. "You destroyed your family as well as ours," Bettty said.

Jurors wiped away tears as Betty continued. "Greg loved and trusted you with his business and his life. Now, Greg is gone and he'll never see his daughters grow up."

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New to the story? Catch up on the Michele Williams case here:

October 31, 2013: The making of the Keller black widow: Did Michele Williams get away with murder?

January 30, 2014: Keller black widow Michele Williams lands back in Tarrant County jail

February 10, 2014: Michele Williams rejects plea deal and opts for murder trial in husband's death

March 6, 2014: Keller black widow Michele Williams worked at strip club while out on bond

May 2, 2014: Peter Van Sant dishes on what made Michele Williams case so intriguing to 48 Hours

May 15, 2014: Accused murderess Michele Williams gets bond revoked amid fears she'd skip town

May 28, 2014: Couple offers to help post bond for accused murderer Michele Williams

May 30, 2014: Keller black widow Michele Williams gets bond raised to $850,000 for husband's murder

July 22, 2014: Family suspects Michele Williams in mysterious death of her brother-in-law

September 22, 2014: Keller black widow Michele Williams goes on trial for her husband's murder

September 23, 2014: Son testifies that Michele Williams tried to frame another woman for husband's murder

September 23, 2014: Prosecutors offer new theory for why Keller black widow Michele Williams murdered her husband

September 24, 2014: Interrogation video shows Michele Williams repeatedly denied husband's suicide

September 25, 2014: Prosecution plays 48 Hours episode during Michele Williams murder trial

September 26, 2014: Michele Williams doesn't testify in her own defense at husband's murder trial

September 29, 2014: Jury begins deliberations in Michele Williams murder trial

September 29, 2014: Jury finds Keller black widow guilty of murdering her husband

Michele and Greg Williams married in 2008.

Michele Williams and Greg Williams on their wedding day

Photo courtesy of Keller Police Department

Michele and Greg Williams married in 2008.

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income analysis

This is the family income needed for one parent to stay home in Texas

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

With costs to raise a child soaring over $20,000 a year in Texas, some households might decide to have one parent work while the other stays at home to raise their child.

The cost of raising a child has ballooned in major metros like Dallas-Fort Worth, forcing many families to weight the choice between paying for child care or having one parent stay home full-time.

A recent analysis from SmartAsset determined the minimum income one parent needs to earn to support their partner staying at home to raise one child in all 50 states. In Texas, that amount is just under $75,000.

The study used the MIT Living Wage Calculator to compare the annual living wages needed for a household with two working adults and one child, and a household with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child. The study also calculated how much it would cost to raise a child with two working parents based on factors such as "food, housing, childcare, healthcare, transportation, incremental income taxes and other necessities."

A Texas household with one working parent would need to earn $74,734 a year to support their stay-at-home partner and their child, the report found. If both parents worked in the household, it would require an additional $10,504 in annual income to raise their child.

SmartAsset said the cost to raise a child in Texas in a two-working-parent household adds up to $23,587. Raising a child in North Texas, however, is slightly more affordable. A separate SmartAsset study from June 2025 determined it costs $22,337 to raise a child in Dallas-Fort Worth.

In the report's ranking of states with the highest minimum income needed to support a family with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child, Texas ranked 32nd on the list.

In other states like Massachusetts where raising a child can cost more than $40,000 a year, the report's author says families will look for ways to reduce any financial burdens.

"This often includes considerations around who’s going to work in the household, and whether young children will require paid daycare services while parents are occupied," the report said. "With tradeoffs abound, many parents might seek to understand the minimum income needed to keep the family afloat while allowing the other parent to stay home to raise a young child."

The top 10 states with the lowest minimum income threshold to support a three-person family on one income are:

West Virginia – $68,099
Arkansas – $68,141
Mississippi – $70,242
Kentucky – $70,408
North Dakota – $70,949
Oklahoma – $71,718
Ohio – $72,114
South Dakota – $72,218
Alabama – $72,238
Nebraska – $72,966

texas income smartasset family