A preliminary hearing focused on a 911 call, doorbell-camera footage, physical evidence and Tahj Hemphill’s claim that he consumed tainted coffee.

SAVANNAH, Ga. — A Chatham County detective has laid out the evidence authorities say connects former Army Sgt. Tahj Hemphill to the June 30 killing of his wife, active-duty Sgt. Denise Williams, giving a judge a detailed account of the hours before police found the 23-year-old soldier dead inside the couple’s apartment.

The testimony marked an important procedural step in the murder case against Hemphill, 23, because it moved the investigation from the initial arrest into a court record describing what detectives say they found, what cameras recorded and what Hemphill told police. Detective Jonathan Puhala of the Chatham County Police Department testified at a July 23 preliminary hearing that investigators collected 24 items of evidence, including a firearm, a knife, blood-related samples, DNA evidence and Hemphill’s blood. Judge Crystal Harmon found enough evidence for the case to proceed to Superior Court and a grand jury. Hemphill remains accused of murder and has not been convicted.

The police response began around 6:30 p.m. June 30, when Puhala said Hemphill called 911 and reported that his wife was dead before ending the call. Officers and firefighters went to the apartment on Fords Point Circle and entered after no one answered the door. Hemphill emerged from the rear of the residence and told officers that he had shot Williams, according to the hearing testimony. Police found Williams in the couple’s bedroom. Early reports described visible trauma, while later testimony from the medical examiner established that she had suffered both gunshot and stab wounds. Hemphill, who remained at the scene, was taken into custody and charged with murder.

Investigators told the court that the apartment contained evidence they considered important to reconstructing what happened. Puhala said police recovered a Glock 43 9 mm handgun, shell casings and a knife. Blood spatter and smear samples were taken from the bedroom wall and carpet, and investigators collected swabs from around Hemphill’s fingernail beds. The knife, other items from the room and DNA samples were submitted for laboratory examination. Detectives also obtained the phones belonging to both Hemphill and Williams. The testimony did not establish in court that every item had completed laboratory testing, and authorities have not publicly released a full forensic report tying each piece of evidence to a specific moment in the killing.

The hearing also gave investigators their most detailed opportunity to place Hemphill’s movements against video and automated license-plate records. Hemphill had been working for FedEx at the time, according to police testimony. Investigators said he left work shortly after 7 a.m. on June 30 and traveled to Jacksonville, Florida. Flock license-plate cameras recorded his vehicle on that trip and later tracked it returning toward Savannah. Around 12:30 p.m., a doorbell camera at the apartment recorded Hemphill entering the home. Minutes later, the same camera showed him outside holding a firearm before he went back inside, Puhala testified.

Williams arrived at the apartment around 12:50 p.m., according to investigators, and the doorbell video was the last recording authorities cited of her alive. A neighbor later told investigators that a sound believed to be a gunshot was heard at about 2 p.m. Several hours passed before the 911 call. Around 4:30 p.m., the camera recorded Hemphill leaving with the couple’s dog. WJCL reported that investigators reviewing the footage described what appeared to be blood on his shorts and around his fingernails. Hemphill returned to the apartment with the dog at about 6 p.m., roughly half an hour before police said he called emergency dispatchers.

The medical findings described in court made clear why the investigation expanded beyond an apparent shooting. Puhala testified that the medical examiner determined Williams had been shot three times and stabbed about 40 times. The detective said the examiner believed she was probably alive during the attack. Those findings were presented as part of the state’s probable-cause case and have not yet been tested before a trial jury. Investigators have not publicly identified a confirmed motive, and the available court reporting does not establish precisely when each injury occurred or how long the encounter inside the bedroom lasted.

One of the more unusual parts of the testimony concerned Hemphill’s own explanation of his condition that day. Puhala said Hemphill told investigators that he believed he had consumed “tainted coffee” while at work. Hemphill also gave police accounts suggesting Williams had behaved or spoken strangely before the two became involved in what he described as a “tussle.” Detectives did not treat the coffee statement as established fact. Instead, they obtained two vials of Hemphill’s blood through a search warrant so the sample could be examined for substances that might help investigators evaluate what he had said. No publicly reported laboratory result has established that the coffee contained a contaminant or that Hemphill had ingested an impairing substance.

Puhala testified that his observations during the interview did not match obvious signs of intoxication or disorientation. The detective said he asked Hemphill basic questions designed to determine whether he understood his surroundings and circumstances. According to the testimony, Hemphill knew the date, understood that he was speaking with law enforcement and correctly identified the sitting president. Puhala described him as oriented and responsive and said he did not appear to be under the influence. Those observations do not substitute for toxicology testing, but they became part of the investigative record because of Hemphill’s statement about the coffee.

Police also learned that concern about Hemphill’s behavior had reached relatives. While officers were still responding to the homicide, a cousin in Washington, D.C., contacted authorities seeking a welfare check, Puhala testified. The cousin reported that Hemphill had said he was “hallucinating.” According to WTOC’s account of the hearing, the cousin had discussed arranging transportation for Hemphill to a hospital, but that did not occur. The welfare-check call gave investigators another account of Hemphill’s reported state of mind, although it did not establish the cause of any symptoms he may have claimed to experience.

Detectives also examined contacts made earlier that day after Williams was unable to reach Hemphill. During their search, investigators found records showing that Hemphill had previously been married to Manuel Almestica Jr., according to Puhala. The detective testified that the prior marriage ended in January 2025. Williams contacted Almestica on June 30 while trying to locate Hemphill, who was then believed to be in Jacksonville. Almestica told investigators that he communicated with Hemphill and relayed information back to Williams. He later provided those communications to police, adding another source of evidence about the hours before Williams returned to the apartment.

Williams was serving with the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart when she died. Her memorial information says she was born March 13, 2003, in Fort Pierce, Florida, and served in the Army as an air traffic controller. She entered military service in 2021. Family memorial material described her as deeply committed to her relatives and to her Army service. Hemphill had also served in the Regular Army, where military officials said he worked as a motor transport operator from November 2021 until March 2025 and reached the rank of sergeant before leaving the service.

The preliminary hearing did not decide whether Hemphill is guilty. Its function was to determine whether prosecutors had sufficient grounds to continue the felony case, and Harmon ruled that they did. The case was bound to Superior Court for presentation to a grand jury. Available reporting has continued to list Hemphill as being held without bond in Chatham County. No publicly reported toxicology result has confirmed his “tainted coffee” assertion, and no final motive has been announced. Those unanswered questions now remain part of a murder case that has moved beyond the initial police investigation and into the next stage of Georgia’s criminal court process.

Author note: Last updated August 27, 2026.