Convicted killer pleads guilty to trafficking firearms while serving life sentence in prison

Already sentenced to spend a life in prison for committing two London murders, William McDonald, 34, continued to add to his already lengthy criminal record while behind bars at Collins Bay Penitentiary.

Charged several months ago as part of a 70-person sting operation looking into firearm trafficking, McDonald, who was born and raised in London, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to sell firearms to an unnamed person.

In pronouncing him guilty, Justice Kelly Gorman told McDonald, "It's astonishing to me that you were capable while serving a life sentence for second degree murder to attempt to broker the sale of firearms."

McDonald has been a part of two high profile murder cases in London.

In 2020, he was found guilty of second-degree murder for the shooting death of his one-time friend Emmanuel Awai. He was found with a gunshot wound to the head in his Connaught Avenue apartment unit in 2016.

Then, 12 months later, McDonald was convicted again of second-degree murder, this time for the shooting death of Jonathan Zak, who was killed while simply walking home alone from a games night with friends through a northeast London park in 2012.

For his latest conviction, McDonald received a three-year sentence to be served consecutively to his murder convictions.

Before wrapping up, Justice Gorman told him, "I recommend you keep you head down sir, I suspect during your remaining time at Collins Bay you will have all eyes on you, so it's best you walk a straight line."

The court heard that McDonald’s life sentence is under appeal.