After spending 30 years in prison fighting a wrongful conviction, Christopher Williams of Philadelphia was gunned down while attending a funeral on Friday (December 16).
The Philadelphia police revealed in a statement that Williams, 62, "suffered gunshot wounds to the head" at Mount Peace Cemetery at 2:20 p.m. ET Friday. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. No suspects have been arrested.
In 2020, Williams was exonerated and acquitted of several murder charges after spending 29 years in prison, 25 of which were spent on death row. After being convicted in two 1989 murder cases, an integrity unit discovered misconduct by the prosecution and informants who were found to be lying in Williams' trial. It was also revealed that inmates who testified against Williams were offered lesser sentences for their testimony. The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) also found that evidence favoring Williams was withheld during his 1993 trial.
Stuart Lev, Williams' attorney, spoke about how he was trying to rebuild his life after his release. Lev told NBC News, "It’s incredibly tragic. This guy went through decades in prison, 25 years on death row for crimes that he did not commit, because the system failed."
Lev added, "He kept fighting and he wouldn’t give up. He just kept insisting that he keep trying different ways of fighting ... Whether that was to keep his hopes up or that was just his own determination and perseverance, that’s what he did. He worked very hard with his lawyers to make sure his lawyers kept doing that, too."
Williams is survived by his wife, five children, and several grandchildren.
Source: NBC News
