Witnesses testify to prior threats by man who murdered DA's wife, as jury mulls death penalty
The prosecution has rested in the penalty phase of Eric Lyle Williams’ murder trial, after presenting witnesses who testified about his history of violent threats years before he shot to death a Texas district attorney’s wife.
Janice Gray said she dated Williams some 20 years ago, when both were working as court coordinators in different counties. After she broke off the relationship, the two had a private conversation at a conference event, Gray testified. Williams pulled out a gun as they talked, she said, and told her: “If you walk away, I will use it. I have nothing to lose,” reports WFAA.
Another witness, Kaufman County Court at Law Judge Dennis Jones, testified about witnessing Williams’ anger at another lawyer, back when Jones was in private practice. “I heard him say, ‘I’m just going to kill him. I’m going to kill him; kill his wife, his kids, I’m going to turn his house down, stab him,’” Jones told the jury determining whether the defendant will get a life sentence or the death penalty.
Convicted earlier this month in Cynthia McLelland’s April 2013 murder, the defendant is also accused of shooting to death her husband, Kaufman County district attorney Mike McLelland, as well as McLelland’s top assistant, Mark Hasse, a few months earlier. Williams has been charged with capital murder in those cases but has not yet been tried.
Defense lawyers pointed to an earlier prosecution of Williams by Hasse and McLelland, which they portrayed as a vendetta that had destroyed their client’s identity. Williams’ prior conviction resulted in his losing his job as justice of the peace and his law license, after he was found guilty of stealing computer monitors from the local government.
Attorney Jenny Parks called that prosecution “ridiculous” and said Williams had the monitors because he was setting up a video arraignment system for the county jail, not because he was stealing them for his own benefit, the station reports.
“What if even one person back then had been wise enough, gracious enough to say… eh? Three computers. Let’s take a deep breath,” said defense lawyer Maxwell Peck. “Let’s take a moment. Let’s ask ourselves: Is it really right to destroy a man’s life over three computers?”
If even one juror votes against the death penalty, Williams will get life, the article notes.
The defense presentation is expected to continue next week.
