Man arrested after 3 family members, including pregnant teen, found dead and bound with zip ties
MOBILE, Ala. (WALA/Gray News) – An Alabama man has been charged with eight counts of capital murder more than a week after a mother and her two children were found dead in their home.
William Graham Oliver, 54, is charged with eight counts of capital murder in connection to the deaths of a mother and her two children.(Mobile County Metro Jail)
The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday that 54-year-old William Graham Oliver was arrested in connection to the deaths of 46-year-old Lisa Fields and her two children: 17-year-old Keziah Luker, who was pregnant, and 12-year-old Thomas Cordelle Jr.
Oliver is charged with one count of capital murder of two or more persons, four counts of capital murder during a burglary, two counts of capital murder of a child younger than 14 years old and one count of capital murder in the presence of a child.
“Anytime there are children involved, it makes it a little tougher and especially an unborn child,” Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch said.
The three victims were found dead April 20, each in a different room of their Wilmer home. All of them had their hands bound behind them with zip ties or flex cuffs, according to Burch.
Burch says Fields’ throat was cut, and she was stabbed. He says Luker was shot, and her brother’s throat was cut. Luker’s 1-year-old daughter was found unharmed in the home.
The sheriff says Oliver had known the family for quite some time and was inside their home looking for something on the night of April 19.
“He was at the home, 7:30-ish Sunday night. Very, very tight timeline. Very solid circumstantial evidence at this point, and we feel confident that we have the right man,” Burch said.
He says investigators know what Oliver was looking for and his motive, but he doesn’t want to get into that at this time.
Oliver has a criminal history, but Burch says this is the first time charges against him are violent. The sheriff says this goes to show you never truly know what someone is capable of.
Jail records show Oliver was charged with first-degree theft of property in 2020, with other arrests dating back to 1990.
Remembering the victims
As family, friends and community members prepare to attend the three victims’ funerals on Wednesday, online obituaries paint a picture of who they were.
Fields was described as “an angel walking among us” and “the most giving, loving person who dedicated her life to her children.”
“She was the best part of so many people’s lives. We are lucky to have known her,” her obituary read.
Luker was described as someone who was outgoing and spontaneous, always had a word of love and wanted to be a nurse. A close family friend says she was excited to welcome her second baby girl.
“Her legacy is a legacy of love, loyalty, perseverance, and happiness,” her obituary read.
Cordelle was described as “a pure soul” who loved games, music and math. He was in the fifth grade and “couldn’t wait” to get out of elementary school.
Copyright 2026 WALA via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
For more U.S. news, click here.
