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A Philadelphia judge halted next week's scheduled execution of a teenage killer after finding the trial prosecutor suppressed evidence the victim was molesting boys, “sanitized” witness statements before giving them to the defense and lied about a secret deal she'd struck with the accomplice.
The judge also tossed out Terrance “Terry” Williams' death sentence, granting him a new sentencing hearing.
Williams has been on death row for 28 years and was set to be executed Wednesday. He would have been the first person executed in Pennsylvania in 50 years who had not given up his appeals.
Williams, now 46, could still face the death chamber if prosecutors successfully appeal Friday's ruling. Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams, who planned an afternoon news conference, has called the defendant a “brutal two-time murderer.”
Common Pleas Judge M. Teresa Sarmina accused trial prosecutor Andrea Gelman Foulkes of “gamesmanship” in order to win the 1986 death-penalty case.
“She did at times play games and take unfair measures to win,” Sarmina said Friday, reading aloud her lengthy ruling. “She wanted to win.”
Williams was not in court, but his aunt, daughter and other supporters broke into applause.
The judge deemed Foulkes' testimony last week about her work in the case not credible. Foulkes, through a spokeswoman at the U.S. attorney's office in Philadelphia, where she now works, declined immediate comment.
Given new evidence unearthed only this past week from police homicide files and Foulkes' own notes, Sarmina said the jury might not have voted for the death penalty if they knew more about victim Amos Norwood.
Foulkes herself testified last week that she suspected there was a sexual link between the 56-year-old Norwood and 18-year-old Williams, but neither she nor police pursued it much. Statements from Norwood's wife and pastor about prior fondling complaints and odd interactions with teenage boys never reached the defense lawyer or jurors.
Related: Penn. board rejects clemency in murder case, execution still planned
Related: Widow asks Pennsylvania governor not to execute husband's killer
AP
Terrance Williams is shown in this undated Pennsylvania Department of Corrections' photo.
Williams now says he had been abused since he was 13 by Norwood, a chemist and church deacon who spent long hours working with underprivileged boys through a church theater program.
Williams, a star high school quarterback from a troubled family, was secretly having sex with older men in exchange for money, clothes and gifts. He had killed 50-year-old Herb Hamilton five months earlier, when he was 17, in a gruesome, clearly sexual slaying. Foulkes herself had prosecuted Williams in that case, which detailed the sex motive and resulted in a third-degree murder conviction.
Three new affidavits this year from Norwood accomplice Marc Draper, a childhood friend, led to what the judge called the “extraordinary” late-stage evidence hearing this past week.
Draper had refused to talk to Williams' appellate lawyers for years. But angry over the raw deal he feels he made with Foulkes, and made aware of Williams' execution date, he opened up this year and recanted his trial testimony. He said he'd told Foulkes and detectives about Williams' sexual relationship with Norwood. They didn't want to hear it, he said.
Sarmina ordered prosecutors to bring the original police files to court. Interview notes made by Foulkes and by police corroborated his story.
Draper said he'd been promised a chance for parole after 10 or 15 years if he testified that he and Williams fatally beat Norwood during a robbery.
Instead, he got a life sentence — which in Pennsylvania, means life without parole. Draper said he didn't understand that. Foulkes stated at trial that she had no side deals with Draper, her star witness. Yet she later wrote a letter for Draper — sent to his father, a policeman — promising to tell the parole board about his cooperation if Draper was ever up for parole. Unbeknownst to Draper, that could only happen if his sentence was changed on appeal.
Federal courts had previously found the work of Williams' now-disbarred trial lawyer “unconstitutionally deficient,” although they refused to throw out the death sentence.
Federal public defenders from a death-penalty unit have represented Williams since 1996. They say the errors found in his case are far too common.
“That we were talking about executing somebody who meets his lawyer a day before trial is an indictment of the system. The fact we're talking about this new evidence a week before execution is a bigger indictment of the system,” public defender Victor Abreu said Friday.
Williams had been scheduled to be executed by lethal injection. He would have become the first Pennsylvania inmate executed since 1962 who had not given up his appeals.
“He's hanging in there. It's not an easy situation. His execution is five days away,” said Shawn Nolan, another public defender.
Williams also has a clemency petition pending with the state Board of Pardons, which reopened his case Thursday but did not issue a ruling. The board could be asked to revisit the petition if prosecutors successfully appeal Sarmina's ruling to the state Supreme Court.
Nolan also released the following statement regarding the judge's decision:
On behalf of Terry Williams, we are extremely pleased that Judge Sarmina, after carefully considering all of the evidence in this case, has vacated the death sentence based on misconduct by the prosecution. Her decision was right and well-reasoned. As prosecutor for more than 10 years and a judge who likely presided over more than a hundred homicide trials, Judge Sarmina certainly understands how the prosecution misled the jury in this case. The Philadelphia District Attorney should stop their appeals and stop fighting to have Terry executed.
The District Attorney’s very own files were replete with evidence from as early as 1984 of predatory, exploitive and abusive acts by Herbert Hamilton and Amos Norwood against Terry Williams and other teenage boys. It is legally and ethically unconscionable that Seth Williams and his Assistants have been advocating for the execution of Terry Williams after hiding critical evidence from jurors and continuing to hide it for 28 years.
Judge Sarmina found that the trial prosecutor engaged in misconduct. She found that the prosecutor 'played games and took unfair measures to win.' She also noted that the prosecutor violated her ethical duty for failing to turn over evidence in the files in the possession of the Commonwealth.
If the DA appeals, we are confident that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will not overturn Judge Sarmina’s well-reasoned decision, and do not believe that the Court will tolerate the prosecutor’s actions in this case, especially when life or death are at issue.
We are also hopeful that Governor Tom Corbett and the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons will now grant clemency in light of Judge Sarmina’s decision and the significance of the evidence that prosecutors kept from the Board during their life or death deliberations. A majority of the Board, including Attorney General Linda Kelly, previously voted in favor of clemency. Surely, after considering the new evidence, they will not allow this execution to go forward.
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Leave a Comment:
Williams would be the first person executed involuntarily in Pennsylvania since 1962.
Who in their right mind would volunteer to be executed?
It has happened.
I say let this guy out of prison, arm him, and give him a list of known pedophiles....start with priests and Boy Scout leaders.
Seems there are a few who do volunteer.
Death-Row Inmates Prefer Death to Life - ABC News
abcnews.go.com › US
More death-row inmates have been volunteering for their executions: Between 1993 and 2002, 75 volunteered for death, compared to the 22 consensual ...
Number of Florida Killers Volunteering for Execution Growing - from ...
www.fadp.org/news/TampaBayOnline-20030905.htm
Sep 5, 2003 – (AP) - Paul Hill may have been the first death row inmate to volunteer for execution because he believed he would become a martyr. But Hill ...
Remember Tim McVeigh? He asked to go ahead and be executed, which was granted.
You'd be surprise, it was a man in Arkanas that kill his family waved all hearings and was put to death.
Just do it and do it just .....
Apparently NBC forgot to mention the other person he murdered. Just like this website to not give a fair and accurate report.
If you really feel that way about NBC, WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HERE? Go back to Faux and their fake news "entertainment".
Feel better now?
I'd ask for it. Who wants to be in prison for eternity? What's the point? I love my freedom more than anything else. If someone killed someone I loved, I'd want them to get life in prison and not the death penalty, simply because life in prison is far worse in my eyes. I'm not scared of dying, but having my freedom restricted is something too terrifying to even contemplate.
I totally agree with you JrzWrld!
The article does mention the other person he killed. He alleged that this person also abused him.
Makesense, better get facts straight. Both of his victims are also allegedly raped him. NBC could have mentioned that too, but I don't think it'd serve your point well.
Something for pedophiles to think about...the children grow up and don't forget.
I'll beleive he was raped once and he killed the guy. But then he gets raped again while out on bail for the first murder and then kills the second guy? Now its just sounding like an excuse to rob these guys...which he did!
Kevin C give it a rest. Not all Priests or Scout leaders were pedophiles.
I agree. Death is far preferable to a lifetime behind bars. A lot of people in that situation feel the same. Look at how many suicides there are in prison.
I agree with Our doc...
Makes Sense,
Why do you read and comment if you are so very annoyed by this site and its reporting? Does it make you feel better to post your annoyance?
Sometimes, in this case yes :)
When I was much youner, the sentence of death were stopped by the courts from being imposed for several years. Then the courts decided to allow it again. Back than one of the first excuted was a guy name Gary Gilmore -- Who asked to be executued by firing squid -- and after some legal back and forth they did execute him.
Kevin, right on bro.
On the surface, your question makes absolute sence. It is a questions asked many times by people who have never spent a day in jail. Let alone life in prison. On death row, maybe an hour a day out of your cell, out of the general population, it must be an unbelievable horror. Death has to be preferable to a life long imprisonment even in a modern facility. But to not take into consideration cicumstances and evidence withheld by prosecutors, that may have shed light on why he committed a crime is worse than the crime itself in my opinion. It is why the struggle continues due to the rift between the law & justice.
You have a problem with football coaches?
I think I have to agree with this decision to allow a new sentencing hearing. I believe a jury making a decision on a death penalty case has a right to know and weigh anything that might be relevant to their decision, and finding out that the "victim" may have sexually abused the accused would certainly be an extenuating circumstance at the very least. The prosecutors erred in this case by hiding it. My opinion.
What ever happens to prosecutors who suppress evidence from the defense? Maybe an ethics violation at the most. They should be charged and jailed accordingly with the magnitude of sentencing. If the sentenced gets life or death row then prosecutors withholding evidence should be charged with Second Degree Attempted Murder for Life Imprisonment or First Degree Premeditated Murder when sentencee is given Capital Punishment.
@GaryColumbus, If we did what you suggested the judges would not have golf buddies.. You wouldn't want that would you?
I think when someone kills a child rapist they should be given a medal. I have a young daughter at home and I can tell you right now that if anyone did anything to harm her I would.......well I think most parents out there know what the answer is.
So, can anyone tell me why, when during the course of a violent sexual attack, if the victim manages to injure or kill their attacker they are deemed a hero, but if they wait and seek their own justice later, that is called first-degree murder? This kid was sexually assaulted by the man that he later killed, and that evidence was suppressed. If you know anything about the sexual abuse of boys, you will also know how difficult that it is for juvenile boys to reveal what has happened to them too. In fact, it may be a decade or two after the fact before many such victims begin to attempt to deal with their violent victimization as children.
I could see a conviction for manslaughter maybe, but if this kid would have had a gun or a Taser in his hand at the time of his original victimization, justice could have been done instantly without penalty too.
If the sentence is down to life, instead of death penalty then they are in general population again and back with people, if u call them that. I hope prosecuters learn to quit going for the conviction by withholding stuff. Let it all out then let the chips fall where they may. I'm tired of hearing that a prosecuter withheld evidence that led to a conviciton. Just maybe he would have gotten that conviction if him and his state paid staff would have done their investigation properly.
Gary
Why didn't his lawyer introduce this as evidence? Surely he knew about it. Why didn't the lawyer go to the judge with this information?
Maybe the prosecutors didn't believe he was molested or that it made a difference. The fact that he killed two people might have been a factor. At any rate it's up to the defense attorney to bring this to light, and if the Prosecutor still with holds evidence then he should be disbarred.
Perhaps MaryClaire Dale meant to write: the first person to waive all further appeals and just get it over with. Otherwise; who really cares about a two-bit loser.
Johna 1791373;
You answered a question that wasn't asked or stated. Do not see where anyone, Kevin C. included, opined that priests and scout leaders are "all" pedophiles. He said give him a list, starting with, etc. It is factual that, by percentage, more priests are molesters of youths, than the general public. AND, worse yet, they do it under the guise of God's representative. Deplorable !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
^
I wouldn't call it a fact that priests molest more than the general public. Lets say you have 10 priests and 2 of them molest children that means 20% of them molest children then by your accounts. Now lets take 100 people from the general public and lets say 20 of them molest children its still 20% but which number is more alarming the 2 priests or the 20 people in the general public. This is why most of the stats are things you shouldn't go by on certain issue. Just makes you like dumb :D
Not excusing the disgusting pedophile for his actions against Mr. williams, But when is it ever right to become a vigilante and dole out justice your self. If he was molested once by a known pedophile and exacted his revenge, How did he end up in a similar situation where he again kills a known pedophile. One time you can understand but it sounds like Mr. williams was not blind to what he was doing and may have even premeditated the second murder. Extenuating circumstances are one thing but regardless of the victims actions and character, Mr. williams should have went to the authorities and allowed the police to investigate and do there jobs. Shame on those who give this two time Killer a pass while excusing it because the victim was a scumbag. You don't blame women dressed like a whore for being raped do you? The Liberals in this country are so hypocritical. You back OJ for a murder everyone knows he committed, then you hammer George Zimmerman when he, under Florida law, defended himself lawfully. Now you clamor to allow a two time murderer out of prison alltogether because he may have been molested. This defendent never brought up any evidence that he was abused until a liberal PD took over the case. It sure perked up the MSMBC crowd to jump on his bandwagon. Think about this, what if he is just lying to get a release. How far will you allow your shame of "the man" to continue your belief in giving passes to minority criminals?. A crime of murder was committed here, twice. He may not deserve the death penalty, but he definately deserves to spend the rest of his life in Prison, with no possibility of parole.
This murderer was a male prostitute. HELLO? Anybody actually read this piece?
There is a real problem with our "unjustice" system.
So often, the innocent/or those partially responsible receive jail time or death, while the true criminals receive a promotion.
Irish 21
Likewise here. But in this case the kid :
"was secretly having sex with older men in exchange for money, clothes and gifts."
Sounds like prostitution to me
Hey Dom... I know a LOT of liberals. Everyone of them thinks OJ is guilty as sin.
Anything else you'd like to make up and assign?
Oh, I get it. It's the "kid's" fault.
Maybe if there weren't adults to teach him everything he knows and there to readily accept his favors, he wouldn't be prostituting, would he?
Shakes head AND face palm.
yeah, How about i make up the fact that Liberals Love America and all it's traditions. That Liberals are all about inclusion yet hammer anyone with a conservative view as racist or living in the past. That consistently bring up Priests whenever a report about religion or molestation shows up, even though it is truly rare indeed. To hear it from a liberal, you'd think there was an army of Priestly molesters hiding behind every corner. You hate traditional forms of expression but welcome Kwanzaa,(madeup) accede to Atheist demands(who cares, their godless) and jump on any minority agenda. i didn't hold slaves myself so i will never carry the shame of self loathing based on what other white people did in the past, and why should I. My skin color doesn't assign blame.
Debi-1314897
My comment was directed specifically to what Irish21 said because I agree.
I never said it was the kid's fault and I don't even blame adult prostitutes. It's a cruel world we live in, Right?
Don't take anything so personal
MAKE SENSE:
The District Attorney’s very own files were replete with evidence from as early as 1984 of predatory, exploitive and abusive acts by Herbert Hamilton and Amos Norwood against Terry Williams and other teenage boys.
MAKE SENSE you need to start making sense they mentioned both men who TAGGED TEAMED him when he was just a boy/teenager. THEY both were friends and used Little/teen boys for their own SICK SEXUAL gradification. You don't think pediphiles at least during that time in the 80's which I was a teenager too, didn't have the internet so they god forbid spoke in person. They BOTH worked at the SAME church I know it's hard to put 2 and 2 together but let's see if you get rammed in the butt for so long and see when you crack I KNOW your male from the lack of compassion you have it is apperant in your writing. This man deserves to be OUT no more jail time he has served his sentance and can help other boys who have been in the same situation. His laywer at the time was actually helping the prosecution, he didn't even SEE his laywer until the day before the trial I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU but that doesn't seem fair to me when it is a death sentance trial, The prosecution should have charges brought against her and she shouldn't be working in ANY COURT system disbarrment for sure. Boy MAKE SENSE I hope you are not in any trouble ever because your logic on the law STINKS...
Dom-462174
Your diatribe applies exactly the same if you exchange the word Liberal with conservative and vice versa. We definitely have opposite views on things but that doesn't necessarily mean that we are right or wrong. Just that we all believe we are.
As far as priests, they are humans like any other person. Whenever you impose a restriction on a natural need, it becomes a problem and sometimes an obsession. I don't think Liberals believe that ALL priests are scum or perverts.
Duh! Because the prosecutor suppressed the evidence. How was the prosecutor able to suppress it without the judge's knowledge? Conspiracy by the court in its entirety to suppress said evidence! From the judge to the prosecutor to the bailiff and even the clerk of court had to be in on it if not be held negligent of the system of law and order. Not unheard of in any court of law. Even SCOTUS and State Supremes have been known to do just that. Whenever and where ever you have ultra-conservative courtrooms, like in rural America (small town courts & judges), evidence suppression happens all the time. I had beaten some smaller courts at their own game in the late 80's but they turned around and nailed my a$$ to the wall on other small things like driving under suspension even when they didn't catch me behind the wheel. Small town judges are omnipotent as Satan! You try to go after them and bring their unlawful ways to light and they or their deputies will crush your cojones one way or the other.
I also see alot of MALES claiming he was a prostitute, it was HUSH MONEY he was beaten to nearly death by his stepfather and mother (who also happened to be druggy losers too) He had been RAPED by a cousin at age 6 and then at age 13 to ARREST thought this NICE pastor and youth Theater Director associated with the church were going to be male roll models for him and all they wanted was to molest and torture him. HOW DARE YOU accuse him of having sex for money. Unless you have been MOLESTED I guess you just won't get it I guess I was asking for it at age 2 when my cousin molested me Guess my pamper was just to sexy to resist? You males don't know it wasen't just the sex it was the power they had over him and finally he just snapped. If you ask me this guy never had a chance to escape any of it his parents also didn't help 1 bit who was he suppose to turn to the police? Sure kid against a pastor's word yeah sure the'll believe the adult everytime until the child shows up dead then EVERYONE screams for justice...
This man should be freed.
He should then be given a job - hunting pedophiles.
This is definitely one case where the judge got it right in stopping the execution. If the information in the article is correct regarding the misconduct and suppression of evidence by the prosecutor then the prosecutor should be disbarred and probably even charged with attempted murder. If she knowingly suppressed exculpatory evidence that would have resulted in a lesser sentence then I feel that she is guilty of attempted murder. She tried to have a man executed who she knew did not deserve it just because of her desire to win. This has become an all too frequent problem with prosecutors. They are judged on their job performance by the percentage of convictions they win, not on getting justice done, so they develop a win at all costs attitude. While this attitude is fine for a defense attorney, it is wrong for a prosecutor. A prosecutor should be out to make sure that justice is done, even if that means losing a case because the evidence is not there or because the person is really innocent. Unfortunately, the way things work today is that once charges are brought the prosecutor cares about nothing other than winning and will far too often suppress or otherwise try to keep out evidence that weakens their case or even points to the innocence of the accused. They want to keep their batting average up because that is how they get promoted and many do not care how they win so long as they win.
In todays world the end justifies the means theres no justice in the justice system its all about money and greed.
This is clearly a case of prosecutor misconduct. She wanted "to win." A major flaw in our justice system is the apparent "game" of win or lose between prosecutors and defense attorneys. Where is justice in all of this? There are cases today where the convicted person has been found to be undeniably innocent and the prosecutor (DA's Office) still challenges the overwhelming evidence - they wouldn't have touched the case if what was now apparent was presented to them at the first trial.
I don't think this article is so much about what the teenager did, or didn't do. It is about the outrageous behavior of the Prosecutor, Andrea Gelman Foulkes.
The Judge used words of “gamesmanship” and likewise stated “She did at times play games and take unfair measures to win,” Sarmina said Friday, reading aloud her lengthy ruling. “She wanted to win.”
These DA's will stop at nothing to rope climb, and they do so on the back of citizens for their own personal agendas.
There is absolutely no deterrent for prosecutorial misconduct in the United States. Prosecutors are rarely punished for such acts. Until they are held to the same accountability of those they prosecute, it will happen over and over,
When things of this nature are discovered, the prosecutor should be held to answer and imprisoned for the same sentence they imposed, and did so knowingly. They destroy lives, and families.
MAKE examples out of them as they do our citizens.
Attorneys Oath of Office
“I do solemnly swear that I will support, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States; that I will do no falsehood, or consent that any be done in court and if I know of any I will give knowledge thereof of the judges of the court, or some one of them, that it may be reformed; I will not wittingly, willingly or knowingly promote, sue, or procure to be sued, any false or unlawful suit, or give aid or consent to the same; I will delay no person for lucre or malice, but will act in the office of attorney according to my best learning and discretion, with all good fidelity as well to the court as to my client, so help me God.”
HOW do they sleep at night? They have no conscience.
what i hate are these prosecutors that do anything to win, leave out evidence, do things like this AND more. what is happening to our justice system when you cannot trust the prosecutor is horrible.
I usually think appeal after appeal after appeal is just a delaying tactic, but this one does seem worthy of reconsideration.
Makes you think about other people who were executed doesn't it? At least I hope it does.
When you consider how many people on death row have been exonerated in the last 10 years alone due to new evidence, i think the process is vital to our justice system.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_exonerated_death_row_inmates
Imagine if you were wrongly accused and some voters out there wanted to 'speed up' the appeal process.
No it isn't. He killed, he should be put to death. Case closed.
If you were raped, you might feel differently... This one was a good one to stop.
To Kevin C, anyone can go online in most states that I know of to find any pedophile that's living in the area and easily locate them. So Kevin now you can go and do the dirty work yourself. The guys a murder.
And one other thing most pedophiles are not strangers not strangers, they are within your own family, or closest friends to the family.
Alverant, yes it does. All those unborn babies that are killed on a daily basis.
What difference does it make who he killed? I am pretty sure the law does not provide different penalties based on the type of person the victim was. First degree murder is first degree murder. And he did it. Doesn't matter what the victim has done in the past.
I'm not saying what he did was right, but I won't be the one to say he deserves death for killing a pedophile.
Jennifer, he killed his rapist who did it to him for a long time as a boy. He likely saved many other young kids from the same fate based on the other article I read. This sicko got worse and worse. MSNBC has published developments on this story and it is great to see a judge pause in this case.
Forget the death penalty, given the maggot child molester he killed I hope they set him free...........
oomy and tabasco ed;
Wake up. Fools!!!
ZOMG save the protoplasms!!!!!eleven!
This didn't take long for the comments to degrade to whimpering about abortion.
Let him go. He served his time and he did nothing that I wouldn't do had he been my son and I found out about the abuse....the law better find the person before I do if anyone touches any of my kids!
Right on brotha!
Seriously! If there's one case that screams "justifiable homicide," it's this one.
OMG! He murdered two people was an abuser himself and a male prostitute. I was sexually abused for years so the law doesn't apply to me? Holy Crap!
My heart sides with Abigail, my brain sides with Mo.
Gotta give the nod to the brain. Mo's right.
Somewhere along the line this guy took a wrong turn.... and from the sound of it landed him face down @ss up..... lol
The law does leave room for extenuating circumstances. If this isn't an extenuating circumstance, I don't know what would be. I don't think the death penalty is the appropriate punishment for him.
@ Jersey...I'm a sista! lol... and to Mo: I never said he shouldn't be punished, and he definitely needs help for some VERY deep wounds/scars... All I said was let him go. It's not like he's scott free, he did serve 28 years. I've known murderers of innocent children who have served less.
I think the prosecutors should be tried for attempted murder. Hiding evidence is a crime that is an affront to the justice system. Whether he is guilty or not is not the issue...simply that the jury did not receive all the evidence needed to make an informed decision.
That is thr truth about our so-called justice system. Once they get anyone who looks good, justice takes a vacation.
At minimum, Ms. Foulkes should lose her job with the U.S. attorney's office. Her misconduct has been called out and it's time to face some sort of punishment. I'd like to see jail time, but at minimum, she shouldn't be allowed to work for the people ever again.
Harold there are many that agree with you- however I think she should be barred from law for life for miscounduct .
one more example of how we are not wise enough to execute anyone. The number of open-and-shut cases is infinitesimally small compared to the complicated ones like this one.
Killing a pedophile should not beconsidered a crime, but a public service,
Just saying,
Bingo!
Amen Larry
I think this man did a Public Service and more than likely saved other kids from these Child Molesters. Let him go, he protected himself and never should have been put in jail.
Of course Government wants this guy excuted he killed a ....
homosexual pedophile.
He absolutely saved other kids. He needs a medal.
I would agree, but I don't know all the facts of this cae. if it can be proven for a fact that this man killed the gyt wgo sexual abused him -- he should get a new trial or atleast the new sentencing this judge is imposing here. But is that the truth here? . Could I kill anyone I want to kill as long as I accuse them of abuse after the fact? Is there evidnect of this man's alliegation of rape?
beelzebubb,
A synonym for the Devil, right?
Why do you link Homosexuals to pedophiles? A pedophile is a psychopath that preys on children to fulfill some missing, hidden need in their sorry existence. They are synonymous to Serial Killers because they do not have any remorse, empathy, sympathy for their victims. Sandusky was a pedophile, a heterosexual being married to a woman for decades, an upstanding member of the community, and was perceived to be everything heterosexual men aspire to. But because his victims were boys(Not Men), boys who were vulnerable to his power.
He had real power in so many ways over these poor children. But because of ignorant, blind hatred, you say he was a Homosexual Pedophile. I remember my High School football coach really liked the cheerleaders(girls). Everyone ion the team suspected he was banging the girls, but no one said anything. Was he a Heterosexual Pedophile by your definition? Or was he a sick basta-d that used his power to dominate children?
People like you that carry their ignorance around with them is why barbarous acts of violence happens to innocent people.
The very act of homophobia allows the predators to remain hidden within organizations like the boy scouts and in churches. The Condemnation of Homosexuals forces the children who naturally have those feelings to remain quiet. Then comes an adult who is respected and has power of a sort, become their secret friend. All of a sudden they do not have to hide and can share their inner feelings without fear of being persecuted. They are just 13, but the "Special "person makes them feel accepted and an equal.
Look at the other side of the coin, if Homosexuality was an open subject where people could just be themselves, then there would be no shadows for the Pedophiles to hide in. It would a simple fact that to breach that code of conduct would be guarenteed judgement by Social Laws. The fact that Taboo is not spoken of allows the Monsters to have a Ball.
Lazarus
I'm against the death penalty regardless, but that aside, why would the judge uphold a first-degree murder conviction at all? Obviously this wasn't first-degree if the evidence is truthful.
How isn't it first degree? His actions in the case were intentional, he broke into the house, murdered the guy, and stole his car. I think the best they could hope for is that the new information makes it clear that trying him as an adult was a mistake, and for the judge to commute his sentence to life.
Not quite - in general, the test for first degree murder requires that there have been at least some premeditation - regardless of mitigating circumstances. If that test was met, then it's still first degree regardless of what may have occurred between the victim and the other victim.
Migitating circumstances comes into play during sentencing, and, in this case, the jury should have known about the prior non-consentual relationship between the two, as it most likely would've swayed their opinions, and rightly so.
Unfortunately most prosecutors who were placed into office in the 80's and 90's rode in on the "Get Tough On Crime" wave and so would do whatever possible to ensure high-profile death penalty convictions - especially if they were elected to office.
Good for you. Can you please pay the state back for all the money they've spent on legitamate death row or any inmates
time is on his side ???
There are all sorts of evidence that "could" be exculpatory material, and not all of it is obvious enough to disclose. But if I knew something like this prior to a defendant's murder trial and didn't disclose it, I'd never be able to sleep at night. How despicable. What the prosecutors knew about the victim's pedophilia and the link to the perpetrator needs to be thoroughly investigated by the state ethics board. It's very possible the jury would have sentenced him to less time than this guy has already served had they known the "victim" used to sexually assault him and other kids.
soooo again. If I have been victimized I can take the law into my own hands? I find this thinking flawed .BUT PLEASE EXPLAIN My child id injured intentionally by any adult and without benefit of trial , I may play the part of Judge, Jury and executioner? I will be able to use the dead SOBS past to justify my actions? Get off Scott free? Cool, I'm not just in, I have a list. Hope you are on my jury.
I recieved an email from the ACLU,the other day,regarding this man's case.They had an email,in which I told the Board of Pardons to Blow it out their Port Holes, and that their prosecutor in this case was a corrupt and lying clown,who needed to be kicked off a short pier.
I told these people that they would be guilty of Murder.They were putting an innocent man to death,and it would be on their watch, and they'd carry it with them for the rest of their lives.
I said,this man shouldn't apologize for anything,and did the world a large favor by getting rid of the TRASH, and putting it out.I also said this man,had gotten a Railroad Job from the time he was 6 yrs.old, by this Garbage,he got railroad job from the Corrupt Prosecutor, and now from them.Hell of a way to end an innocent mans life,who committed JUSTIFIABLE HOMICIDE!They all should be so proud!
Thank God this judge with common sense,is going to let him get a new hearing.I hope everything turns out alright for him, because this Man needs a break in his Pitiful Life!
Your grammar and puncuation is piss poor.
Piss Poor,gee isn't that slang? Bottom line, I DON'T CARE.Just as long as the point gets across!
Have a nice Dey! Oh wait Day!
Why wasn't the alleged pedophilia raised at trial? Implication is that the perpetrator did not raise sexual abuse as a reason he committed the murder. Why not? If valid exculpatory evidence was available at the time of trial, the prosecutors should be held accountable for their failure to reveal the evidence. There is no excuse for their criminal conduct!!
Not all criminal defense attorneys are the same. Some dumbass probably convinced him that he would make a bad witness, or for some other reason he should refuse to take the stand. If the "victim" assaulted him as a kid, he should have taken the stand and said so, particularly if there was no way he was not going to get convicted.
I think his lawyer screwed him as well as the prosecutor. Then entire system failed miserably in this case, almost to the bitter end....
YES! YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT! The Prosecutor acted improperly , his lawyer was later disbarred.Does that allow this murderer to be free? He broke into a mans home murdered him and stole his car. The man if he were a pedophile was long done with him. What was ever to stop the murderer from going to the police? Filing charges? He had a witness. Same buddy who helped with the murder and grand theft auto. Now I'm not saying the pedophile didn't deserve to die and the world is a a much better place without him, but that's not how we do things here. Right?
Just a thought...... Why didn't the defense present this during his trial?
Probably a public defender. They get paid by the same people paying the prosecutor...so...
The most notable case of someone who volunteered for the death sentence was Gary Gilmore of Utah. Norman Mailer adequately and profoundly wrote about this infamous decision in his book based on the life and death of Mr. Gilmore called, "The Executioner's Song."
I read the book. Gilmore was a career criminal in and out of prison since his pre-teens. He was extremely dangerous in prison where he crippled a fellow inmate with a hammer. He was extremely dangerous outside of prison where he killed a convenience store clerk and a motel desk clerk because he was enraged that his girlfriend broke up with him. He kidnapped his girlfriend's sister and had her in the car during the shooting spree. Held her in a motel room over night and then released her. When she got home she told her sister "I almost got killed." Gilmore was an imminent danger to anyone he happened to run into in or out of prison. Utah did us all a favor.
Okay, but regardless of whether or not the jury got to hear about the abuse, the guy murdered someone. No matter what another person does to you, you can't just kill them, it's not how our justice system works. I don't know what a new trial is going to do, other than to end with a life in prison sentence. It's not like they're going to be able to overturn the conviction because he had a sympathetic reason to kill the guy.
Jennifer--life in prison is not an automatic sentence for murder. A defendant has a constitutional right to present mitigating evidence at a sentencing hearing. It's entirely possible that if this is true (the pedophile "victim") then Williams could have received just a few years in prison. A new sentencing hearing could result in him being immediately released, if he's already served more time than his new sentence. "Dog the Bounty Hunter" was convicted of murder back in the 70's, today he's a t.v. star.
Good point, C. I was going off the fact that in this case, the victims were elderly people, he broke into their house, robbed them, killed the guy, and stole their car. He also had priors, which were used in determining sentencing. He shouldn't have been tried as an adult, though, and probably wouldn't have been if this information had been brought to light then.
I'm against the death penalty, by the way, I'm just a little confused by the number of people who seem to think that murder is fine, so long as you have a good reason to do it, and that the outcome of this new trial should be that he walks away from prison like nothing happened.
See my post below on who Terrance Williams really is.
See my post below on who Terrance Williams really is.
Convicting him of murder but giving him a lighter sentence for the mitigating factors may seem like being o.k. with murder, but it's very different. You have to distinguish the conviction for the crime from the sentencing.
No rational, well raised person would want to be a convicted murderer. Also, see my post below regarding the full story of what this guy did. I'd say he was a victim from pretty much day 1, and at some point, he finally lashed out against the older guys (one from a local church) who were sexually abusing him as a teenager. These were not random killings.
I think murder is ok in some instances, this being one of them.
MakesSense believes slimy attorneys who are making a fortune concocting bull to extend the appeals process ad infinatum for heinous repeat murderers.
Think you mis understood my comment there buddy. That comment was made before I knew he had a habit of killing people. Death sentence may be harsh considering the facts now but life without parole seems fair.
Murder is never OK, but justifieable homocide should be, self defence should be. If some creep raped one of your children and nothing was done. Could you stand by and do nothing? That would be equal to a life sentence, you would never be able to live with yourself anyway. Especially everytime you thought of your child.
Jennifer, obviously you have never been sexually abused, if you were you will singing a different tune right now.
What NBC forgot to mention is that this was the second person this POS murdered. His excuse for killing the 1st guy was that the guy came on to him. Terrance Williams was a male prostitute with a habit of robbing and killing his johns. Leftist bleeding heart judges in Penn. find every excuse not to execute heinous murderers. The 3 murderers executed in Penn. since 1977 all dropped their appeals. This piece of crud has been on death row since 1984. They'll resentence him to death again and this no justice circus will go on for 10 more years. Execute the judge.
Yeah, we're all kind of forgetting he shot and killed another guy during a robbery. And that this wasn't like "A Time To Kill" where he heroically shot a child molester. He murdered this guy while out on bail for another charge. This isn't a good guy falsely accused.
Wow, great job NBC again for not reporting a story without a bias! I really need to stop reading their website if they can't seem to report a story correctly. I'm done, off to any other news station.
he was found guilty of murder fry his @$$
The execution was rightly stopped, but only because I opposed the death penalty. That the prosecution withheld evidence from the jury is also relevant. However, it is not remotely relevant that he, after killing the guy, claims the man earlier assaulted him.
leftsux--in case people don't already know not to trust what you say as truth, here is the actual story of what this man (boy) did...they can decide based on actual facts whether this person is the scumb you describe.
He was not a juvenile when he committed both murders. In addition you should research university death penalty deterrance studies. There have been dozens of them since the 50s, many in the last 10 years and every single one finds a deterrant effect. These studies find that between 2 and 18 innocents are spared the horror of murder for every execution for 1st degree murder in that particular state. In addition they also find that for every 2 years shaved off the appeals process an additional innocent is spared being murdered and that the carrying out of executions for 1st degree murder enhance the deterrant effect of other penalties for other felonies. In light of this these bleeding heart jurists' and politicians' hands are soaked in the blood of innocents.
Yeah he killed 2 guys while he was working as a male hooker because they sexually abused him. He also robbed them. I have a bridge to sell you.
He had just turned 18. So how long was this "good churchman" who got killed having sex with him? 4, 5 years? More? I don't doubt this kid was a male prostitute. Were the guys he killed partly responsible for turning him into that?
The point is, the information should have been brought out for sentencing purposes. Maybe a jury still gives the guy life. But it should have been available for their consideration. To not do that flies in the face of the jury system in the first place.
Why didn't the defense bring this up at trial or in the last 30 years. This "new" evidence is a bunch of bull spewed by slimy defense attorneys making a fortune on extending the appeals process for heinous murderers ad infinatum.
The legal term used in the law's interpretation of potential, relevant information is "mitigating circumstance." It is of course, subject to the interpretation of semantic within the word of this very subjective system. In this particular case, circumstantial information was not presented to the jury, which in turn may have had an impact on the jury's rendering of a verdict. It is this mitigating, circumstantial evidence that is being called into question with regard to whether the sentence was too severe. Mr. Williams must pay his debt to society for his acts, although consideration should be given to this circumstantial evidence which was the catalyst for his deadly aggression. He was wrong...but not all wrong. He reacted and killed a pervert who ruined his life, he does not deserve the death penalty.
You just made up a whole bunch of stuff. There is no circumstantial evidence to be considered, merely the killer's claim. He did not react and kill "a pervert", as once again, the activities of the murdered man have not been proven and are only claims made by the killer. An analogy would be to accuse of having written Mein Kampf based on - nothing.
He killed two men a year apart, when he was 17 and 18!!!! What part of premeditated murder and death penalty do you not understand. He deliberately killed them, viciously. He took the law into his own hands and profitted from his abusers. This is wrong in so many ways, but, it doesn't make it right to murder someone. Even the Bible says "a life for a life".
Serious ChasleysDad? ? What circumstantial evidence was that? His claim the 2nd man he murdered molested him? He murdered the first guy because he made a pass at him. Really? Who would make a pass at a male prostitute? The victim if he in fact was a pedophile was long done with a 17 yr old. This was not a reaction or even revenge. He stole the guys car. We only have the word of a two time murderer and a convicted felon who refused to come forward during his trial to condemn this man yet so many simply believe. So we take this fine upstanding youth at his word. What should his sentence be?
Well, I guess the alleged pedophile won't pet a penis again, will he?
do i understand this occured in 1986????? why is he still on death row, he should have been fried years ago ! ! !
do you liberal @!$%#s realize that it costs the taxpayers $50,000 a year to keep hit??? folks that is $1,300,000 that coulod have been spent on something useful????? what a bunch of idiots to allow this to happen! ! ! !
you got that right
Oh but wait.....it gets better. This guy was having sex for money with the guy he killed. And, the "pedophile" was killed by this dude AND an accomplice after they tied him up, beat him, took his money...and then came back and burned the body.
It does sound like the sex started early on - about 12 or 13 - but 4-5 years later this fool kept going back for paid sex.
how many years later this comes up,this guy should have been dead one hour after sentanceing,waste of the air he breathes
Give the Man a Medal! I would not leave our corrupt justice system to take care of a matter like this! For example Carley Bruschia and Jessica Lundsford's murders are still alive, breathing, and living off our tax dollars! Not to mention Casey Anthony is walking around a Free Woman!
GreatMommy stop handing out medals to heinous murderers. This guy killed two men and robbed them. Terrance Williams was an adult male prostitute with a habit of robbing and killing his johns.
This guy may have killed these people...but maybe they did something in his past that made him who he was the day it happened. Sexual abuse is a terrible thing to experience and go through. Ive seen it first hand, with someone very close. I dont think anyone can truly go back to normal once its done.
Im not saying killing another person is wrong, but I also see why he did it. This should have been brought up in court.
Hey leftsux, at least he had a job! I seen your name more than anyone else's just scrolling down one page, which leaves me to believe your unemployed!
Greatmommy I'm rich. LOL
as gratifying as it would be to just fry the "B-starred".. it is kind of fun to think of all of the stress they are under when they think Dooms Day is here, then a stay gets granted, then a new date set.. oops, no - fry date set earlier or later. they deserve to suffer, albeit at the tax payers expense.
Your comments are so Sadistic and Inhumane, especially not knowing all the details.
THERE MAY BE SOME JUSTIFICATION FOR KILLING ANOTHER PERSON, but taking the law into your own hand in not the answer ALL THE TIME!
The justice system doesn't always get it right, and have prosecuted innocent people, unjustly penalized, wrongly put to death others, and even let guity people free, so why not give a BENEFIT OF DOUBT in cases that aren't so clear and understandable!
Our justice system is broken, and definitely not STANDARDIZED! THE DEATH PENALTY is not fairly meted out and should be "ABOLISHED" until it standardized national!
Man is a very poor JUDGE of other MEN, but it is all we have, I guess!
And it took them 36 years to bring this "evidence" forward? BS. Fry him immediately and then fire all the leech lawyers who made a living over the years with spurious arguments.
BS.
Yeah, because you were there.
The fact that there was evidence suppressed could be enough for a mistrial.