Investigators obtained Tahj Hemphill’s blood for testing after he described possible contamination, while a detective said he appeared oriented during questioning.
SAVANNAH, Ga. — A claim about “tainted coffee” has become one unresolved part of the murder case against former soldier Tahj Hemphill, whose blood was collected for testing after he told police he believed he had consumed something unusual hours before his wife, Army Sgt. Denise Williams, was killed.
The statement attracted attention because it raised a factual question that investigators could test rather than simply accept or reject. Detective Jonathan Puhala of the Chatham County Police Department testified that officers obtained two vials of Hemphill’s blood through a search warrant after the 23-year-old made the coffee claim. At the same time, Puhala told a judge that Hemphill appeared oriented and responsive during questioning and did not show obvious signs that he was under the influence. No publicly reported toxicology finding has established that Hemphill consumed a contaminant, and authorities have not said the claim explains Williams’ death or constitutes a medical finding.
That distinction is important because the allegation surfaced in a homicide investigation containing substantial evidence unrelated to Hemphill’s reported condition. Williams, 23, was found dead June 30 in the apartment she shared with Hemphill on Fords Point Circle in the Savannah area. She was an active-duty soldier assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart. Hemphill, a former Army sergeant who was working for FedEx, was arrested at the scene and charged with murder. A preliminary hearing on July 23 ended with Judge Crystal Harmon sending the case to Superior Court for possible grand jury action.
Puhala testified that Hemphill’s own account prompted detectives to ask basic questions about his awareness during the interview. The detective said Hemphill knew the date, recognized that he was speaking with law enforcement and correctly identified the sitting president. Puhala said those responses led him to view Hemphill as oriented. That observation does not answer what laboratory testing may show, and it does not establish whether Hemphill experienced any earlier medical or psychological symptoms. It simply records how a detective said Hemphill presented after officers reached the apartment.
There was separate evidence that Hemphill had told a relative he was experiencing something unusual. While police were at the homicide scene, a cousin living in Washington, D.C., called authorities seeking a welfare check on him, according to the hearing testimony. Puhala said the cousin reported that Hemphill had said he was “hallucinating.” The cousin discussed arranging an Uber to take him to a hospital, but that did not occur. The call gives investigators an independent record that Hemphill described hallucinations to another person, though it does not verify whether he was hallucinating or identify a cause.
The coffee claim was only one part of Hemphill’s reported account. According to Puhala, Hemphill told police that after returning home he thought Williams was speaking or behaving strangely and that the two became involved in what he described as a “tussle.” Available reporting has not shown that investigators accepted that version as a complete explanation of events. Instead, police compared his statements with camera footage, vehicle-tracking data, witness information and physical evidence recovered from the bedroom. Authorities have not publicly announced a confirmed motive.
The independent timeline began hours earlier. Hemphill had been at work for FedEx and left shortly after 7 a.m., investigators said. Flock license-plate readers later tracked his vehicle traveling to Jacksonville, Florida, before returning toward Savannah. During the morning, Williams was unable to reach him and contacted Manuel Almestica Jr., Hemphill’s former husband, according to Puhala. Almestica later told police he had communicated with Hemphill and shared information with Williams. He gave investigators those exchanges, creating a record of contacts before the couple returned to the same apartment.
At about 12:30 p.m., a doorbell camera recorded Hemphill entering the residence, the detective testified. Minutes later, he was seen outside holding a firearm before going back in. Williams arrived around 12:50 p.m. Investigators said that was the last time the camera recorded her alive. A neighbor later reported hearing what sounded like a gunshot at about 2 p.m. The camera did not record the events inside the apartment, meaning detectives had to rely on forensic evidence and other information to understand what happened after Williams entered.
The medical examiner’s findings showed a violent attack involving more than a firearm. Puhala testified that Williams had been shot three times and stabbed about 40 times. Investigators recovered a Glock 43 9 mm handgun, eight shell casings and a knife from the residence. Police also collected blood evidence from the wall and carpet, swabs from around Hemphill’s fingernails, a DNA sample and other items from the bedroom. The detective said 24 pieces of evidence were collected, with several sent to a laboratory. The hearing reporting did not include completed results for every test.
Hemphill appeared on the doorbell camera again well before the emergency call. At about 4:30 p.m., investigators said, he left the apartment with the couple’s dog. Local reporting from the hearing said detectives observed what looked like blood on his shorts and near his fingernails in the video, and he was reported to be without shoes. He returned at approximately 6 p.m. About 30 minutes later, police said, he called 911 and reported that his wife was dead before ending the call.
Officers and firefighters responded to the apartment and entered after no one answered the door. Puhala said Hemphill emerged from the rear of the residence and told police that he had shot Williams. Officers found her in the bedroom. The statement at the scene, the earlier camera recording showing Hemphill with a firearm, the physical evidence and the medical findings became separate components of the probable-cause presentation. The “tainted coffee” assertion therefore sits within a much larger case rather than functioning as the sole account investigators have of the day.
Detectives also seized the phones belonging to Hemphill and Williams. That evidence could help establish communications and timing, while messages provided by Almestica gave investigators additional context for the morning. Police found records showing that Hemphill and Almestica had previously been married and divorced in January 2025, Puhala testified. Investigators said they found no previous domestic violence reports involving Hemphill and Williams. The absence of a prior police record, however, did not resolve the events of June 30 or provide investigators with a public explanation for why Williams was killed.
Both Hemphill and Williams had Army backgrounds. Hemphill served in the Regular Army from November 2021 to March 2025 as a motor transport operator and reached the rank of sergeant, according to military information provided to local media. Williams remained on active duty and worked as an air traffic controller. Her memorial information says she was born and raised in Fort Pierce, Florida, and joined the Army in 2021. She was remembered by relatives as strongly devoted to her family and military service.
The hearing left three different categories of information surrounding Hemphill’s condition: what he told detectives about the coffee, what he reportedly told his cousin about hallucinating and what Puhala personally observed during questioning. Those accounts are not interchangeable. The first two describe Hemphill’s reported experiences; the third reflects a detective’s assessment of his outward behavior. Toxicology evidence, if introduced later in court, could provide another category of information. Until such results are publicly established, the cause and significance of the symptoms Hemphill described remain unresolved.
Harmon’s probable-cause ruling means prosecutors can move forward with the murder case in Superior Court and seek grand jury action. It does not represent a finding of guilt, and Hemphill is presumed innocent unless convicted. Available reporting has continued to describe him as held without bond in Chatham County. Investigators have not publicly confirmed that the coffee was contaminated, have not announced a final motive and have not released a complete set of laboratory findings. What began as one of Hemphill’s statements to police is therefore likely to remain a question to be measured against the physical and digital evidence as the case advances.
Author note: Last updated August 27, 2026.