Richard Alex Williams

Go to Database Search Page

Go to Database Index Page

Charge:	First Degree Murder
Sentence:	Life Imprisonment without possibility of parole
Years Imprisoned:	19
Year Crime:	1996
Year Convicted:	1998
Year Cleared:	2015
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	California
County or Region of Crime:	Sacramento
City of Crime:	Sacramento
Result:	Judicially Exonerated
Summary of Case:	"Richard Alex Williams was wrongly convicted in 1998 of first-degree murder in the shooting death of a man in Sacramento, California. Williams first trial ended in a mistrial becasue of a hung jury. After his conviction by a jury after his second trial, Williams was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. After his conviction was affirmed on direct appeal, and his state habeas petition was denied by the California Supreme Court, Williams filed a federal habeas corpus petition. On June 27, 2014 U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton granted his petition on the basis the prosecution had committed a Batson violation by excluding a black member of the jury pool based on the juror's race. Williams is also black. The State appealed, but in June 2015 the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed Judge Karlton's ruling. On November 2, 2015 a jury acquitted Williams after his third trial. Over the trial judge's objection, Williams elected to give his own closing argument instead of his lawyer. Williams was released the following day, on November 3, 2015."
Conviction Caused By:
Innocence Proved By:	"On November 2, 2015 a jury acquitted Williams after his third trial. Over the trial judge's objection, Williams elected to give his own closing argument instead of his lawyer. Williams was released the following day, on November 3, 2015."
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Identified?
Age When Imprisoned:	18
Age When Released:	37
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	Black
Information Source 1:	"After third trial, man acquitted of Sacramento murder is freed from jail, By Denny Walsh (Staff writer), Sacramento Bee, November 3, 2015"
Information Location 1:	http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article42711141.html
Information Source 2:	"Retrial jury acquits Richard Williams of 1996 murder, By Denny Walsh (Staff writer), Sacramento Bee, November 2, 2015"
Information Location 2:	http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article42403182.html
Information Source 3:
Information Location 3:
Information Source 4:
Information Location 4:
Information Source 5:
Information Location 5:
Book About Case:
Book Information:
Book About Case (2):
Book Information (2):
Movie About Case:
Comments About Case:

Go to Database Search Page

Go to Database Index Page

Richard Alex Williams

Charge:

First Degree Murder

Sentence:

Life Imprisonment without possibility of parole

Years Imprisoned:

19

Year Crime:

1996

Year Convicted:

1998

Year Cleared:

2015

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

California

County or Region of Crime:

Sacramento

City of Crime:

Sacramento

Result:

Judicially Exonerated

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Innocence Proved By:

"On November 2, 2015 a jury acquitted Williams after his third trial. Over the trial judge's objection, Williams elected to give his own closing argument instead of his lawyer. Williams was released the following day, on November 3, 2015."

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

18

Age When Released:

37

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Black

Information Source 1:

"After third trial, man acquitted of Sacramento murder is freed from jail, By Denny Walsh (Staff writer), Sacramento Bee, November 3, 2015"

Information Location 1:

http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article42711141.html

Information Source 2:

"Retrial jury acquits Richard Williams of 1996 murder, By Denny Walsh (Staff writer), Sacramento Bee, November 2, 2015"

Information Location 2:

http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article42403182.html

Information Source 3:

Information Location 3:

Information Source 4:

Information Location 4:

Information Source 5:

Information Location 5:

Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

Comments About Case: