Case of man stabbed to death, left in field near school in 1983, getting another look

A 1983 cold case is getting another look by Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office detectives.

The stabbing death of Booker T. Williams, 26, has gone unsolved for 35 years.

His body was found stabbed to death inside a 1978 Chevy Monza on May 3, 1983. The car was parked on an open field just steps away from what was then Grand Park Elementary School.

“That's all I see when I look over there is more questions,” said Williams who met Action News Jax near the crime scene.

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The school has been renamed Grand Park Education Center.

The area has changed a lot since that day but what hasn’t changed is Williams’ desire to see his uncle’s case solved.

“I never got a chance to say goodbye. It really affected my family deeply, it changed everybody,” said Williams.

JSO showed us photos of the crime scene in 1983.

Booker Williams' lifeless body was in the driver's seat, the passenger side door was left wide open.

“Whoever did it had a lot of anger in them to stab somebody that many times,” said Williams.

The horrific scene was discovered in the early-morning hours of a Tuesday, but Sgt. Dan Janson said thankfully no students came near the car.

Instead, a worker who was nearby found the body and called 911.

“There was a knife outside the vehicle stuck in the ground on that passenger side where that door was open,” said Janson.

Janson said testing on the knife came back negative for traces of blood.

Through the years, a man Willie Paul McDougal, who was one of the last people to see Williams alive, was considered a person of interest.

McDougal has died, but Janson said there could be another potential suspect.

An anonymous call, in the early days of the investigation alleged a teenager named "Jimmy" may have been the killer.

“He advised that he asked Jimmy about it and Jimmy showed him a knife and told him that he had killed a guy,” said Janson.

Unfortunately, JSO doesn’t have a strong description of “Jimmy” or even his last name.

No DNA testing was ever done on the case.

Detectives now hope to find something that can be tested.

Williams said he promised his grandparents that he would do whatever he could to solve their son’s case.

He’s made it his mission to never stop looking for answers.

“What I have is a lot hope that someone will be facing justice for this,” said Williams.

If you have any information that could help JSO solve this case, you can stay anonymous by calling CrimeStoppers at 866-845-TIPS.

Cox Media Group