A man with a history of domestic violence arrests has been charged in a double homicide in Waterbury on Monday in connection with the fatal shooting of his parents.
Javian Adams, 25, faces charges of murder with special circumstances, murder in the commission of a felony, criminal use of a weapon, carrying a pistol without a permit, first-degree reckless endangerment, first-degree larceny of a motor vehicle and criminal possession of a firearm or ammunition, Chief Fernando Spagnolo of the Waterbury Police Department said at a news briefing on Wednesday morning announcing the arrest.
Adams was held on a $5 million bond and was expected to face a judge in Waterbury Superior Court later in the day.
The charges came after Spagnolo alleged that Adams shot and killed both of his parents, 51-year-old Carlene Williams and 55-year-old Marc Adams, at Williams’ home at 176 Beverly Ave. Williams would have turned 52 on Saturday.
According to Spagnolo, officers were called to the home just before 10:50 p.m. on Monday and found both victims suffering from gunshot wounds. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
According to a spokesperson for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, autopsies showed that Williams died of gunshot wounds to her head and neck and Adams died of a gunshot wound to his head. Both deaths were ruled a homicide.
Spagnolo said investigators found four shell casings at the scene and believe a 9mm firearm was used. Police are still investigating what led to the shooting, though Spagnolo noted that Javian Adams has a “significant history” of domestic violence and is on probation for prior family violence convictions.
“This is a very tragic incident and it revolves around domestic violence,” Spagnolo said.
According to Spagnolo, police developed Javian Adams as a suspect in the shooting and were able to “rapidly” share information with surrounding law enforcement agencies. Investigators then learned that officers with the Watertown Police Department responded to the area of Lake Winnemaug Road and Sperry Road on the report of a burglary around 6:50 a.m. on Tuesday.
Spagnolo said Javian Adams was arrested after allegedly entering someone’s residence and was charged with first-degree burglary and sixth-degree larceny. He was apprehended after Watertown officers found him in the area of the lake’s boat launch.
Authorities spent much of Tuesday combing through the area looking for items Javian Adams was believed to have ditched, which included a book bag and sneakers. Spagnolo said police were able to find the Ford Focus they believe he used after Watertown investigators had asked members of the public to be on the lookout for the car or any video surveillance that captured it.
The vehicle was found in a park in Middlebury about three miles away from the Watertown break-in, Spagnolo said. Investigators on Wednesday were still processing the vehicle and the surrounding scene.
“We’ll be processing the car forensically very shortly,” Spagnolo said.
According to Spagnolo and court records, Javian Adams was arrested by Waterbury police in October 2023 on charges of third-degree assault, third-degree strangulation or suffocation and second-degree breach of peace. He was arrested in Waterbury again in June 2024 and charged with interfering with an officer.
In July 2024, he was sentenced in both cases to 364 days in jail, suspended, and two years of probation after pleading guilty to the assault, strangulation and interfering charges, court records show.
Police arrested Javian Adams again in January on charges of third-degree assault, second-degree strangulation or suffocation, risk of injury to a minor, disorderly conduct and second-degree threatening, court records show. Those charges stem from an incident in Waterbury in December.
Javian Adams was later charged with violating his probation, according to court records.
Spagnolo said the prior cases involved his immediate family and others with whom he had relationships.
“He identified with a number of different the categories that make people we deal with in these violent crimes more susceptible to either engaging in as a perpetrator or becoming a victim of violent crime,” Spagnolo said.
The shootings on Monday mark the seventh and eight homicides so far this year in Waterbury.
