Mount Clemens, MI — A Hazel Park man will spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted of killing a man during a dispute outside a Warren gas station in 2024.
RELATED: Hazel Park Man Convicted of First-Degree Murder in Fatal Warren Gas Station Shooting
Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido announced that Al Curtis Williams, 47, was sentenced Wednesday, March 12, 2026, to life in prison without the possibility of parole after a jury found him guilty of First-Degree Premeditated Murder in February.
Williams was sentenced by visiting Judge Edward A. Servitto following the jury’s verdicts on multiple charges.
For the first-degree murder conviction, Williams received the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment in the Michigan Department of Corrections without parole, with no credit for time served.
In addition to the murder conviction, Williams was also sentenced on two additional charges:
- Carrying a Concealed Weapon — 24 months to five years in prison, with 445 days credit for time served
- Felony-Firearm — two years to be served consecutively, with 445 days credit for time served
Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Steve Fox and Carmen Rankin prosecuted the case on behalf of the People.
“The sentencing today brings these proceedings to a close. The defendant will spend the remainder of his life in prison,” said Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido. “While no sentence can undo the harm that was done, it is my hope that today provides some measure of closure for the family of Brandon Zaner. Their loss is profound, and it is one they will carry with them always.”
The conviction stems from a December 21, 2024 confrontation at a Shell gas station in Warren involving 38-year-old Brandon Zaner of Utica.
According to prosecutors, Williams and Zaner initially engaged in a verbal dispute inside the gas station. Williams then left the store but returned shortly afterward and confronted Zaner again after the victim had walked to a nearby parking lot.
During the second altercation, Williams pulled a gun and fired a single round, striking Zaner in the chest.
Zaner collapsed in the parking lot and was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
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