A homeless man was charged with murder this morning after beating another homeless man to death with a floor lamp inside a closed hotel in Augusta, authorities said.
Bryant Willerson, 44 (left photo), is accused of attacking 63-year-old William McClain (right) after an argument at 2 a.m. this morning inside a room at the old Days Inn on Broad Street, where McClain was squatting.
“The motel is presently not opened to the public but has security to prevent thefts. It is not known where Willerson stayed but he was not believed to stay at the closed motel,” sheriff’s Lt. Blaise Dresser said.
During the altercation, Willerson obtained a floor lamp and began beating McClain on the body and head. McClain died at the scene as a result of the beating, Lt. Dresser said.
Willerson was arrested at the scene and booked into the Richmond County Jail for murder, the county’s 15th of the year.
Both men had a history of arrests for trespassing and disorderly conduct and have been featured in The Jail Report several times.
