Walmart worker found dead in car after break, ex-partner charged with murder

A Walmart associate was found dead in her car while on break at the Nitro Marketplace store in Cross Lanes, West Virginia, after police say her ex-partner followed her outside and shot her. The victim was identified by investigators as Misty Rose Williams, 40, and the suspect as Eric Dewayne Richmond, 54, of Charleston. Police said the two share children.

Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office investigators said Williams walked to her vehicle around 9 a.m. Monday, April 13, 2026, and did not return. Coworkers later checked on her and found her slumped over inside the car. Kanawha County Metro 911 received the call around 9:15 a.m. Williams died from an apparent single gunshot wound to the upper chest.

Authorities said Walmart surveillance footage showed Richmond inside the store before the shooting and then following Williams outside during her break. Police said the video also showed Richmond getting in and out of Williams’ vehicle multiple times before leaving the scene. At one point, investigators said, Williams’ car moved forward and struck another parked vehicle in the lot. That parking-lot sequence has made the case a stark reminder of how domestic violence can spill into a workplace in the middle of an ordinary shift break.

Deputies said a search warrant at Richmond’s home turned up a 9 mm handgun. Richmond was charged with first-degree murder, arraigned Monday in Kanawha County Magistrate Court, and is being held without bond at South Central Regional Jail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 20, 2026.

For Walmart workers, the details are jarring because the killing unfolded during a routine break, in a store lot, with coworkers the first to realize something was wrong. The case also shows how quickly a personal dispute can become a workplace safety crisis when someone is able to track an associate from inside the building to her car. In this case, police say the suspect was already inside the store before Williams stepped out.