Teen pleads guilty to killing Lucia Bremer

HENRICO, Va. (WWBT) - Dylan Williams, the teen charged with killing 13-year-old Lucia Bremer, pleaded guilty on Monday.

The shooting happened in March 2021 in the Gayton Forest West subdivision while Bremer and a friend were walking near Godwin High School.

A jury trial in the case was scheduled to start on Jan. 30 after several postponements last year.

Back in June, the prosecution and defense agreed to allow Williams to delay the trial so that Williams could undergo a neuropsychological evaluation.

On Monday, Williams entered guilty pleas for first-degree murder, attempted murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Three other charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement, which can be read here.

Sentencing is scheduled for April. As part of the plea agreement, Williams will not be sentenced to more than 60 years in prison.

Photo of Dylan Williams, taken by law enforcement — Photo of Dylan Williams, taken by law enforcement(WWBT)

“We believed that the sixty-year cap was sufficient enough to be able to get the necessity of responsibility owed by the defendant, but also recognizing a number that was significant for loss of life,” Henrico Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor said. “The reality is there’s never going to be enough time in the world to bring Lucia back to the family. There’s never going to be enough time in the world for her friend, who went through a very traumatizing experience, to put into a number form, but the families knew what we were dealing with, and they agreed with that number as well.”

Lucia’s parents, Meredith and Jonathan Bremer, issued a statement Monday afternoon following the guilty plea:

Our daughter Lucia was killed on March 26, 2021. Today, the person charged with murdering her and the attempted murder of her friend entered a guilty plea as the result of an agreement carefully curated by the Henrico County Commonwealth Attorney’s office.
The criminal and legal process started immediately after Lucia’s murder, when neighbors and bystanders who witnessed the event volunteered critical information to the Henrico County police department. This information, combined with tips from our neighbors and the strong investigative work of the homicide detectives, led to the identification and swift arrest of Lucia’s murderer. The progress toward justice continued with the careful collection of evidence and analysis by experts. The solid case was then brought to the Commonwealth Attorney’s office, who has since steadfastly worked to prosecute these crimes with their experience and with compassion toward our families. To all of these civil servants and to our community, we offer our wholehearted gratitude.
We want our community to know that today’s plea deal has our full endorsement. While this process has been arduous, taking twists and turns and with delays that likely could have been avoided, it is the outcome that matters. We had the satisfaction of watching Lucia’s murderer admit his guilt, and that is not something we were ever assured of before today.
And still, this process continues. We now turn our focus on the sentencing hearing, which will be the only time in the criminal proceeding during which we can convey all that was stolen from us: our beautiful daughter Lucia, her bright smile and funny spirit, her ability to make connections, and her future contributions to our community. It will also be an important time for the court to hear about the dangerous tendencies of her killer. We are hopeful that the court will carefully consider these factors and exact a thoughtful and lengthy sentence, a sentence that will confirm that Lucia’s murderer will not ever again be a danger to the public.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Meredith and Jonathan Bremer

Both families are looking ahead to Williams’ sentencing hearing set for April 14.

“We will talk about not only the loss of Lucia’s life on her family in the community, which we saw, days after and really months after her passing and was just something that you’ve never seen of a very young life touching so many people, but we’re also going to talk about her friend and talk about how losing her best friend in such a violent manner, what that has done to her,” Taylor said.

The witness statement from that friend who survived the attempted murder became public today.

The then-13-year-old recounts Lucia and herself being held at gunpoint by Dylan Williams in her garage. She writes about running away and hearing gunshots, but Lucia not having time to get away.

Witness Statement from friend of Lucia Bremer — Witness Statement from friend of Lucia Bremer(WWBT)

Prosecutors also provided more evidence of Williams’ troubled past.

Two weeks before the murder, Dylan Williams posted a comment on a YouTube video depicting a school shooting.

Dylan Williams YouTube video comment, two weeks prior to Bremer's murder — Dylan Williams YouTube video comment, two weeks prior to Bremer's murder(WWBT)

“We believe this young man was interested in doing something violent,” Taylor said. “For whatever reason, we believed he fixated on Lucia and her friend.”

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