Kaufman County murders

In 2013, two prosecutors and a prosecutor's wife were murdered in Kaufman County, Texas. The case gained national attention in the United States due to speculation that the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang was responsible, but this was later found to be untrue.

Eric Lyle Williams (born April 7, 1967),[1] a former lawyer and justice of the peace whose theft case was prosecuted by the two victims, was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to death for the three murders. His wife, Kimberly Irene Williams, was tried separately,[2] and sentenced to 40 years in prison.[3]

Timeline

Hasse murder

On January 31, 2013, Mark Hasse was shot and killed while walking in the 100 block of East Grove Street in Kaufman, Texas.[4] Hasse was the chief assistant district attorney for the Kaufman County Criminal District Attorney's Office.[5] He was walking from his car to the courthouse when a gunman shot him repeatedly, and then fled the area in a waiting car.[6] Hasse, 57, had been an attorney for many years, and had previously served as an assistant district attorney in Dallas County under District Attorney Henry Wade. He had worked for Kaufman County since 2010 as a prosecutor, and was also a licensed police officer commissioned with the district attorney's office.

A large manhunt was conducted by several law-enforcement agencies, including the Kaufman Police Department, the Kaufman County Sheriff, several Kaufman County Constable's Offices, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.[5] During the course of the investigation, a number of leads were followed, and news of the investigation captured headlines across the nation. Most hypotheses involved allegations that the Aryan Brotherhood, a prison gang, had been responsible for the murder; this hypothesis was later found to be not true.[7] This initial speculation was purported by other Kaufman defense attorneys who were acquainted with Hasse, and knew that Hasse “dealt with cases involving methamphetamine in the county, gangs, and white supremacist groups.”[5][8]

McLelland murders

On March 30, 2013, the bodies of Kaufman County Criminal District Attorney Michael McLelland, 63, and his wife, Cynthia Woodward McLelland , 65, were found in their home located in Talty in rural Kaufman County.[9] The murdered couple was discovered by Dallas police officer, C.J. Tomlinson, and his step-father, Skeet Phillips, who were both family friends of the McLellands.[10] The duo entered the home to check on the couple after a family member was unable to contact them;[9]Tomlinson's mother had called him after her phone calls to both McClellands, trying to arrange a time to drop off vegetables for a dinner Mrs. McClelland was preparing for the Phillips family.[11]Tomlinson found the front door closed but unlocked — unusual in a situation in which McClelland had, like his colleagues, been particularly alert to personal safety since the Hasse murder — and noticed shell casings on the entryway floor as he carefully opened the door.[11] Both victims had been shot and killed in what was described as a home invasion-type assault on their property.[12]

McLelland had been elected to his office in 2010 and was widely viewed as an excellent replacement for the previous district attorney, who had been arrested for driving under the influence while in office.[13] Mike McLelland was an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve for 23 years, and worked as a clinical psychologist before pursuing a legal career.[14] Cynthia McLelland worked as a clinical psychologist for many years before becoming a psychiatric nurse at Terrell State Hospital.[9][14]

Following the McLelland murders, numerous elected officials in the county were placed under protection by law-enforcement officers at home and at work. Security was visibly increased at the Kaufman County Courthouse.[12]

Arrests and trial

On April 18, 2013, Eric Lyle Williams and his wife, Kim,[15] were arrested for all three murders. Eric Williams, a former attorney and justice of the peace for Kaufman County, had been convicted of burglary and theft while in office, and had been prosecuted by McLelland and Hasse. Williams was out of jail on probation at the time of the murders.[16][17]

The trial was moved out of Kaufman County, as Williams' defense lawyers cited media coverage and its interference with a fair trial as reasons for change of venue.[18] Williams' estranged wife was held at the Kaufman County Law Enforcement Center in lieu of a $10 million bond.[18] Williams' license to practice law was suspended on October 10, 2012, and was permanently revoked when he was disbarred on February 3, 2014.[19]

Eric Williams was found guilty of capital murder[20] at his trial in Rockwall County on December 4, 2014.[21] He was sentenced on December 17, 2014 to die by lethal injection.[22] As of January 2018, Eric Lyle Williams is incarcerated in the Polunsky Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ)[23][24] and is awaiting execution. The U.S. Supreme Court denied an appeal from Williams on May 14, 2018.[25] Williams filed a new appeal in August, 2019.[26]

Media coverage

In March 2018, HarperCollins published a book on the cases written by veteran journalist Kathryn Casey, In Plain Sight: The Kaufman County Prosecutor Murders. The first journalist to go inside the prisons to interview Kim and Eric Williams, Casey conducted extensive interviews over a two-year period with both the convicted killers. During those sessions, Eric Williams denied any involvement in the killings and professed his innocence. In contrast, Kim Williams described in detail the events leading up to the murders and recounted the days of the killings. She claimed to regret her actions and acknowledged that she could have stopped her husband by contacting authorities before any of the victims died. Kim Williams filed for divorce while in prison, and it became final in January 2018.[27]

References
  1. "Death Row Information". www.tdcj.texas.gov. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  2. Williams, Eric Lyle, Texas Department of Criminal Justice; retrieved May 14, 2017.
  3. Emily, Jennifer (2014-12-30). "Wife of convicted Kaufman County killer sentenced to 40 years in prison". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2017-05-14.
  4. Janda, Greg; Sakmari, Elvira; Horne, Chris (9 February 2013). "Memorial for Kaufman ADA Mark Hasse Held Saturday". NBC DFW. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  5. Heinz, Frank (31 January 2013). "Kaufman Co. Asst. DA Mark Hasse Likely Targeted in Fatal Shooting: Police". NBC DFW. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  6. Hoffer, Steven (February 4, 2013). "Mark Hasse Murder: Disputes Emerge Over Slain Kaufman County Prosecutor's Behavior". Huffington Post. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  7. Koplowitz, Howard. "'Strong Evidence' Eric L. Williams Murdered Texas Prosecutors Mike McClelland, Mark Hasse: Report [PHOTO]". International Business Times. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  8. Gordon, Scott; Van Horne, Chris (31 January 2013). "Friend of Slain Asst. DA Speaks Out". NBC DFW. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  9. Siron, Chris (31 March 2013). "Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland, wife found dead in home". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  10. Lindsley, Gary (1 December 2014). "Jurors see gruesome photos of McLelland murders". The Terrell Tribune. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  11. NBC News. "Vendetta," Dateline, 27 February 2015.
  12. Solis, Susy. "Extra Security At Kaufman County Courthouse". CBS DFW. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  13. Emily, Jennifer. "Former Kaufman County DA guilty of second DWI". Dallas News. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  14. "Mike and Cynthia McLelland" (Obituary). Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  15. Lauren D'Avolio, Serge F. Kovaleski and Ethan Bronnerapril, "Charges Set in Killings of Officials in Texas", April 18, 2013, New York Times, at
  16. Emily, Jennifer. "Suspect in Kaufman County DA murders waives oral arguments in appeal of case law enforcement cites as motive for killings". Dallas News. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  17. Stephens, Marshall. "Eric, Kim Williams could face death penalty if convicted for DA killings". KLTV. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  18. "Jury selection delayed in Kaufman County murder trial". KHOU. May 21, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  19. Profile, State Bar of Texas; accessed August 16, 2018.
  20. "TDCJ Offender Details". offender.tdcj.texas.gov. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  21. Eiserer, Tanya (December 4, 2014). "Jury to deliberate fate of Eric Williams Monday". WFAA.com.
  22. Associated Press (December 17, 2014). "Kaufman County killer Eric Williams sentenced to death". KDFW Fox News.
  23. "Eric Lyle Williams | Texas Prison Inmates". The Texas Tribune. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  24. Texas Inmates feature, Texas Tribune, at Texas Prison Inmates.
  25. "Texas Inmate To Die This Week Loses At Court, Parole Board". CBS-TV. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  26. Williams files new appeal.
  27. "Divorce finalized for couple convicted in Kaufman County murders". inforney.com. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
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