Mount Clemens, MI — A Macomb County jury has convicted Al Curtis Williams, 46, of Hazel Park, of First-Degree Premeditated Murder in the fatal shooting of a Utica man outside a Warren gas station.
The verdict was returned Monday, February 2, 2026, following a four-day jury trial before Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Edward Servitto. The case was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Steve Fox and Carmen Rankin on behalf of the People of the State of Michigan.
Williams was found guilty of First-Degree Premeditated Murder, a crime punishable by life in prison without the possibility of parole, along with Carrying a Concealed Weapon, a 5-year felony, and Felony Firearm, which carries a mandatory 2-year prison term that must be served consecutively to the murder sentence. He remains in custody at the Macomb County Jail and is scheduled to be sentenced on Thursday, March 12, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. before Judge Servitto.
The conviction stems from a deadly confrontation that occurred on December 21, 2024, inside and outside a Shell gas station in Warren. Williams became involved in a verbal dispute with 38-year-old Brandon Zaner of Utica inside the store. Williams then left the location but returned a short time later and confronted Zaner again in a nearby parking lot.
During that second encounter, Williams pulled a firearm and fired a single shot, striking Zaner in the chest. Zaner collapsed onto the pavement and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
“The jury’s verdict holds the defendant accountable for the murder of a stranger, an absolute senseless act of violence. This outcome sends a clear message that Macomb County will not tolerate such brutality and that those who commit these crimes will face the full weight of the law. Our thoughts remain with the victim and his family,” said Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido.
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