Murder/suicide shocks quiet town on eve of holiday

By Rupert Howell
A domestic murder/suicide Friday afternoon tainted the Christmas holiday for many residents in the Pope area and others as their rural mail carrier was murdered by her estranged husband while finalizing her route at approximately 3 p.m. the day before Christmas Eve.
Pope rural mail carrier Pamela Williams, 54, was shot twice in the abdomen while sitting in her car. Cooper Williams, 52, then turned the rifle on himself next to her car on a dead end road in the Enid Shores subdivision east of Pope.
A family member said Cooper Williams was under a restraining order to keep him away from Pamela Williams, but Panola County Coroner Gracie Grant-Gullege said Monday, “I’ve never seen a restraining order that would stop a bullet.”
A family member confirmed that problems between the couple had been going on for at least several months and stated that Cooper Williams had suffered with mental issues and had been diagnosed with homicidal and suicidal tendencies.
“Don’t make him sound like a horrible person,” Cooper Williams’ daughter-in-law, Allison Williams, requested while mentioning that mental and substance issues may likely have been responsible for the bizarre behavior.
Channel 3 News from Memphis reported that Williams had rearranged her route to avoid her husband’s home but on the understaffed Friday before Christmas it was reported she felt comfortable including his house on her route. The  statement was disputed by a family member who said Pamela Williams would, “Never have agreed to that, even after a protection order.”
The family member also revealed that Cooper Williams had stated he couldn’t kill himself without killing her, too—”And it happened just like he said.”
The tragedy comes as a local group is working to get a domestic violence safe shelter built near Pope to serve the local area. The drive has brought attention to ongoing occurrences of domestic violence.
The latest death brings the total to at least four lost this year to domestic violence in Panola County. Funeral services for Williams were incomplete at press time Wells Funeral Home has charge.