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Willie Williams | |
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| Born | William James Williams Jr. (1956-11-09)November 9, 1956 Youngstown, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | October 25, 2005(2005-10-25) (aged 48) |
| Cause of death | Execution by lethal injection |
| Other names | Willie Williams |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Convictions | Aggravated murder (4 counts) Kidnapping (4 counts) Aggravated burglary |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Details | |
| Victims | 4 |
| Date | September 2, 1991 |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Mahoning County, Ohio |
William James "Flip" Williams Jr. (November 9, 1956 – October 25, 2005) was an Americanmass murderer and suspectedserial killer who was executed bylethal injection. He was convicted of the September 2, 1991, murders of three rivaldrug dealers and a visitor to theirYoungstown, Ohio home. Williams was previously acquitted of a 1981 murder.[1]
Williams had returned to the neighborhood after a long absence to find that several people including Alfonda R. Madison, William L. Dent, and Eric Howard had taken over his drug dealing in the area. He decided to regain control by murdering the three. He enlisted the help of his 16-year-old girlfriend, Jessica M. Cherry; her brother, Dominic M. Cherry; and Dominic Cherry's seventeen-year-old "cousin", Broderick Boone.
On the night of September 1, after Jessica Cherry had previously gone to the house of Madison to discuss a drug deal, Williams arrived with the three accomplices. All but Williams went into the house, where they drew guns on Madison. Usingwalkie-talkies they signaled for Williams to enter the house. Madison washandcuffed and his mouth taped withduct tape. Theodore Wynn Jr. then arrived at the house, looking for Madison and Howard. Jessica answered the door and told Wynn the two weren't home. Williams realized that Wynn could identify them, so he got Jessica to call him back into the house. Wynn was then handcuffed and gagged. Jessica was then instructed by Williams to use apayphone to call Dent and get him to come to the house. He arrived with Howard and the two were ambushed by Williams and the other three, and forced into the bathroom. Williams then proceeded to strangle Madison and Wynn, and then shot the four victims in the head with a gun owned by Madison.
Dominic Cherry turned himself in to police on September 24. Police then arrested Jessica Cherry and Broderick. The three were held at Mahoning County Juvenile Justice Center. Williams was then arrested but escaped on October 15 and while afugitive wasindicted on four counts of aggravated murder, four counts ofkidnapping, and one count of aggravatedburglary.
His next action was on January 12, 1992, when he and two other men went to the Juvenile Justice Center and tricked the receptionist into letting them enter. He then held the receptionist and deputy sheriff hostage while demanding to see Jessica, Dominic and Broderick. He would later testify that he planned to kill the three to stop them being witnesses at his trial. He later surrendered and was re-indicted on twelve counts of aggravated murder, four counts of kidnapping, and one count of aggravated burglary. The three juveniles pleaded guilty todelinquency by reason of complicity to aggravated murder, complicity to aggravated burglary, and complicity to kidnapping. Williams pleaded not guilty but was convicted on all counts and was sentenced to death on the four aggravated murder convictions.
Police think that Williams may have killed up to ten other people during his criminal career. He had previously done five years in aCalifornia prison forcocainetrafficking andbank robbery. He had also once walked into a police station in Youngstown and asked for information on rival drug dealers in the area.
The Ohio Parole Board recommended thatGovernorBob Taft not give clemency in this case, which he withheld on October 24.
He was pronounced dead at 10:20 a.m.EDT on October 25, 2005, after the lethal injection at theSouthern Ohio Correctional Facility inLucasville, Ohio. He did not have alast meal request, though did have a cup of coffee. In his final statement he said:
"I'm not going to waste no time talking about my lifestyle, my case, my punishment. Mom, you've been there for me from the beginning. I love you. To my nieces, nephew and uncle I love you very much. Y'all stick together. Don't worry about me. I'm OK. This all ain't nothing. That's it."
| Executions carried out in Ohio | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Willie Williams October 25, 2005 | Succeeded by |
| Executions carried out in the United States | ||
| Preceded by | Willie Williams –Ohio October 25, 2005 | Succeeded by |