25-year-old William Petway was charged with false imprisonment and two counts of aggravated assault after he repeatedly strangled his pregnant ex-girlfriend, slammed her into a wall, and placed his knee on her stomach.
On October 7th, Metro Nashville Police officers were dispatched to an apartment complex on Highway 70 South to reports of a domestic disturbance. Upon arrival, Officer Moser came into contact with Alexia Billingsley, who stated her ex-boyfriend and father of the child she was carrying, William Petway, knocked loudly on her door early that morning. She woke up and opened the door and he told her he wanted to sleep in the bed with her. When she refused he became upset, pushed her from the door into the bedroom, and placed both of his hands on her throat. While he was strangling her, he bit her nose and her mouth until he received a text message. He released her from his grasp and she fled into the living room. She claimed William exited her apartment afterward.
The day prior, October 6th, William Petway had been to her apartment in the afternoon. She was wrapped in blankets on her bed when he asked her for a hug and she refused. In response, he ripped her covers off and she fell to the floor, onto her seven-month pregnant stomach. When Alexia stood up, he grabbed her by the throat with his right hand and slammed her into a wall before strangling her with both hands for approximately 1-2 minutes. Petway told Billingsley, “I’m going to kill you and kill that baby” while throwing her to the bed, hands still around her throat. She claimed he then put his knee on her right shoulder and his other knee on her stomach while his hands were on her neck. When Billingsley tried to exit the bedroom, he grabbed her and stated, “if you go near that door, I’ll beat your ass.”
She attempted to flee approximately 5 times but was strangled and punched in the face after every attempt. He bit her cheeks and called her a “bitch” among many other insults. She testified Petway threatened to kill her and the baby repeatedly, and told officers, “based on how he was acting, I thought he would kill me.” Alexia advised she was unsure of how it ended and that she was possibly strangled unconscious. The last thing she remembered was him yelling at her while she was laying on the bed. Alexia had multiple injuries including noticeable teeth marks and bruising on her cheeks.
On November 5th, William Petway was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault by strangulation and false imprisonment. He is currently jailed in lieu of a $90,000 bond and the case has been bound over to grand jury.
