ST. CLAIRSVILLE — “Sheer violence.”

That appears to be the only motivation that led Malcolm Alcindor Williams to shoot Michael Brundage in the face, according to Belmont County Prosecutor Kevin Flanagan.

And that is what made the investigation and trial of Williams for attempted murder so disturbing, Flanagan said after a guilty verdict was returned by a jury on Friday afternoon. The trial began Tuesday and included testimony from law enforcement officers, a physician who treated Brundage and the victim himself. It took the jury three to four hours of deliberation to reach a verdict after closing arguments were delivered Friday morning.

“Obviously, we are very pleased,” Flanagan said of the jury’s decision. “… Prosecuting one of this magnitude and absolutely having no motive is the most concerning part about this case. There was no provocation. These two individuals did not know each other.”

Brundage is a resident of Ellenboro, West Virginia, while WIlliams is a resident of Alabama.

Flanagan again described the crime Friday, saying that the victim was driving a semi-truck that had broken down on the night of Jan. 30, 2024, and he was trying to repair it. Williams was driving another semi-truck, pulled over ahead of Brundage’s truck, walked back to Brundage and asked if he needed anything. Williams then pulled a gun from his pocket with his left hand and shot Brundage in the face on the roadside, according to testimony and evidence presented at trial.

“It was just sheer violence,” Flanagan said. “That’s one that sits with you.”

Flanagan stressed that nothing was taken from Brundage or his truck. He said no words had been exchanged by the men, stressing that it wasn’t a case of road rage. Instead, the two trucks took different paths to arrive at the same destination about 3 miles west-southwest of Wheeling along Interstate 470 in Belmont County. Flanagan also pointed out that Brundage broke down about 25 minutes before Williams’ vehicle even entered the state of Ohio.

“There is no defined motive here,” Flanagan added. “There is no indication he ever went into the cab (of Brundage’s truck) or rifled through his pockets.”

Flanagan said some keys to the investigation included using Ohio Department of Transportation traffic cameras to determine that an Old Dominion Freight tractor-trailer passed the scene around the time the crime took place. That company was able to provide dash camera footage that showed a truck with the Superego logo, or the letters “ego,” on its trailer. Williams was employed by Superego.

Superego also provided truck log information that showed Williams’ truck idled for a little more than two minutes near the location of Brundage’s truck on I-470, and that it proceeded from there to the Cambridge, Ohio, Pilot fuel station, where it spent the night. Both Williams and his truck were observed on surveillance video from that Pilot station the next morning.

Flanagan also noted that when officers arrested Williams in Michigan, he pulled a 40-caliber Glock handgun from his left coat pocket. The victim recalled that the gunman used his left hand to produce the gun and shoot him, and he was wounded in the right side of his face.

Williams, who did not testify in his own defense, was convicted at about 2:30 p.m. Friday of first-degree felony attempted murder with a firearm specification.

As a result, Flanagan said he could receive a maximum sentence of 14-19.5 years in prison. A sentencing hearing was set for 10 a.m. Aug. 25 in Belmont County Common Pleas Court before Judge Chris Berhalter.