Shawn Williams

Go to Database Search Page

Go to Database Index Page

Charge:	Murder
Sentence:	25 years to life imprisonment
Years Imprisoned:	25
Year Crime:	1993
Year Convicted:	1994
Year Cleared:	2018
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	New York
County or Region of Crime:	Kings
City of Crime:	New York City
Result:	Judicially Exonerated Released
Summary of Case:	"Shawn Williams was wrongly convicted in 1994 of murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Marvin Mason in Brooklyn, New York in July 1993. Williams was 16 at the time of the crime and a childhood friend of Mason. Williams prosecution was based on a single eyewitness, Margaret Smith-Leddy. The lead police investigator in the case was NYPD Det. Louis Scarcella. Smith-Leddy had seen the shooter from her sixth floor apartment, and she told the police he was a black male 5'-2" tall. Although Williams is over 6' tall, Smith-Leddy identified him at Scarcella's prompting. After Williams conviction by a jury he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Evidence of Scarcella's involvement in a number of wrongful convictions led to reinvestigation of Williams' case. Smith-Leddy had recanted her testimony in 2009, and in 2015 she signed an Affidavit for consideration of the Kings County District Attorney’s Conviction Review Unit. Williams filed a post-conviction motion for a new trial based on the new evidence by Smith-Leddy and concerning Scarcella's lack of credibility. Smith-Leddy was in declining health and did not want to testify at a hearing concerning William's petition. Without a witness to challenge Williams' motion, the Kings County DA's Office filed a motion to vacate his conviction and dismiss his charges. On July 13, 2018 the motion was granted by Kings County Supreme Court Justice Sharen Hudson. Williams was released later that day after 25 years in custody. Williams was the ninth person in Kings County whose case was initially investigated by Scarcella to have their convictions overturned, after reinvestigation of their case by the CRU."
Conviction Caused By:
Innocence Proved By:
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Identified?
Age When Imprisoned:	16
Age When Released:	41
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	Black
Information Source 1:	"Another wrongful conviction tossed amid the questionable tactics of retired Detective Louis Scarcella, By Christina Carrega, New York Daily News, July 13, 2018"
Information Location 1:	http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/ny-metro-wrongful-conviction-scarcella-20180713-story.html
Information Source 2:
Information Location 2:
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

Shawn Williams

Charge:

Murder

Sentence:

25 years to life imprisonment

Years Imprisoned:

25

Year Crime:

1993

Year Convicted:

1994

Year Cleared:

2018

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

New York

County or Region of Crime:

Kings

City of Crime:

New York City

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Released

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Innocence Proved By:

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

16

Age When Released:

41

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Black

Information Source 1:

"Another wrongful conviction tossed amid the questionable tactics of retired Detective Louis Scarcella, By Christina Carrega, New York Daily News, July 13, 2018"

Information Location 1:

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/ny-metro-wrongful-conviction-scarcella-20180713-story.html

Information Source 2:

Information Location 2:

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: