• Up to life: Antwain Williams-Barlow, 18, was sentenced by Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Kimberly A. Melnick to 44 to 48 years to life in prison on two counts of murder and one count of aggravated burglary, each with a three-year firearm specification.
• Plea agreement: The sentence was agreed upon as a condition of Williams-Barlow’s guilty plea. The agreement also led to 20 charges being dismissed, including aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, felonious assault, murder and improperly discharging a firearm at or into a habitation.
What was he accused of?
• The shooting: Williams-Barlow was accused of shooting and killing 29-year-old Deja Powers and 24-year-old Antwan McCathron on Nov. 11, 2024.
• Fight over money: According to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office, Williams-Barlow and an unidentified male, both brandishing guns, went to an apartment in the 1700 block of Stewart Street to confront people over money.
They then reportedly forced their way into the apartment and confronted the people inside, eventually ending in the shooting. Williams-Barlow and the other person fled the scene.
• The victims: When police arrived, Powers was dead and McCathron was critically injured, the prosecutor’s office said. Medics took McCathron to Miami Valley Hospital, where he died due to his injuries.
• Investigation: Williams-Barlow was later identified through witness statements and additional evidence, according to the prosecutor’s office, and finally arrested a little over a month after the shooting on Dec. 18, 2024.
• Court case: Williams-Barlow was 16 years old at the time of the shooting, and was originally charged in juvenile court. After the prosecutor’s office filed a motion to transfer Williams-Barlow to adult court, in July a grand jury indicted Williams-Barlow in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court on 23 charges, including 12 counts of murder.
He pleaded guilty in a plea agreement on Dec. 12, 2025.
Staff writer Kristen Spicker contributed to this report.
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