KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas – A former justice of the peace in North Texas, who was sentenced to death in 2014 for the revenge killings of a district attorney’s wife and two others, is seeking a new trial, according to reports. Eric Williams claims he did not have adequate time to review evidence and prepare for trial, which he says led to his conviction. He also alleges that the trial judge was biased and that the trial’s location had an impact on his ability to receive a fair trial.
Williams was convicted of capital murder for the deaths of Cynthia McLelland and her husband, Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland, as well as prosecutor Mark Hasse. Williams had lost his job and law license after the prosecutors pursued theft and burglary charges against him. Authorities stated that Williams was upset over these charges, which ultimately led to the violent revenge plot.
In 2013, Williams, wearing a mask and tactical gear, gunned down Hasse outside a courthouse building. Two months later, he stormed into the home of the McLellands and shot the couple over a dozen times. Williams’ wife, Kim, was also involved in the killings and later pleaded guilty to her role.
Williams has made several appeals to overturn the death sentence, claiming a broken brain and seeking revenge against those who he felt ruined his life. A North District of Texas federal judge is set to hold a hearing on Williams’ latest request for a new trial.
In his latest attempt to avoid the death penalty, Williams is asking for a new trial, claiming that he did not have enough time to prepare for the original trial, and that the trial’s location and the judge’s bias negatively impacted his case. If the judge grants his request for a new trial, it could potentially reopen a case that has already led to a death sentence.