James Arthur Williams

James Arthur Williams
For other people with similar names, see James Williams and Jim Williams.

James Arthur Williams (or Jim Williams) (December 11, 1930 - January 14, 1990) was the only person in the state of Georgia ever to be tried four times for the same crime – the alleged murder of his assistant, Danny Lewis Hansford, on May 2, 1981, in Williams's home, Mercer House.

Contents

Life

Williams, who was born in Gordon, Georgia, played an active role in the preservation of Savannah's historic district, beginning in the mid-1950s. After several years of purchasing, restoring and selling historic homes, he was able to purchase Mercer House in 1969. The house had stood empty for more than 10 years since its last occupants, the Shriners organization, had used the building as their Alee Temple. Williams restored the home completely and operated his antiques restoration business out of the carriage house in the rear of the mansion.

As a noted Savannah, Georgia antiques dealer and restorer of historic homes, Williams was initially arrested in 1981 for the shooting death of Danny Hansford, with whom he had a sexual relationship. After the subsequent four trials, Williams was finally acquitted by a jury in Augusta, Georgia in 1989. On January 14, 1990, six months after the trial, he died unexpectedly in his home, aged 59, from pneumonia and heart failure, falling dead in nearly the same spot where Danny Hansford died shot to death nearly a decade earlier. He is buried next to his mother, Blanche Brooks Williams, in Ramah Church Cemetery, Gordon, Georgia.

Trials

Bobby Lee Cook defended Williams during the first trial. Williams was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. He appealed, posting a $200,000 bond. Cook subsequently received, anonymously, a copy of the police report showing that the arresting officer had contradicted himself. The judgment was overturned and a new trial was ordered.

Sonny Seiler assumed Williams's defense at the second trial and decided to have Williams openly bring up his sexuality. Little else differed from the first trial. The Georgia Supreme Court overturned the conviction saying the sheriff should not have been allowed to testify as an expert, and that the prosecutor waited until his closing argument to demonstrate some evidence.

New evidence at the third trial showed the victim’s hands were not bagged by the police at the crime scene, a possible explanation for the lack of gunpowder residue. During deliberations, a juror supposedly called a paramedic to ask some medical questions, though it could not be proven. After two deliberations, the jury still had not reached a verdict, one woman adamantly insisting she saw reasonable doubt and would not alter her verdict. With 11:1 jurors in favor of a "guilty" verdict, it was declared a hung jury and resulted in a mistrial.

The fourth trial began two years later with a change of venue to Augusta, Georgia. The jury took one hour to come back with a verdict of not guilty.

References

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • James Arthur Williams — James Arthur Williams, más conocido como Jim Williams (11 de diciembre de 1930 14 de enero de 1990) fue una conocida figura típicamente folk de la ciudad de Savannah, en Estados Unidos. De origen humilde, labró una rápida fortuna en el mundo… …   Wikipedia Español

  • James Arthur Williams — (ou Jim Williams) (11 décembre 1930 14 janvier 1990) est un antiquaire et restaurateur de demeures historiques de Savannah aux États Unis. Il est cependant plus connu comme personnage central de l ouvrage de John Berendt,… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Arthur Williams (boxeur) — Arthur Williams Fiche d’identité Nom complet Arthur James Williams Surnom King Nationalité …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Arthur Williams (actor) — Life and careerArthur Williams was born in Islington. He was married to Emily Spiller and had a brother, Fred, who was also engaged in theatre and music hall. His nephew was the comic film actor, Fred Emney. Williams first went into business as a …   Wikipedia

  • Arthur Williams (boxer) — Arthur King James Williams (born November 12, 1964 in Pensacola, Florida) is a professional boxer.Williams became professional in 1989 and fell short in his first shot at a major championship title, a 1994 split decision loss to Orlin Norris for… …   Wikipedia

  • James Williams — can refer to:In American politics: *James Williams (Delaware representative) (1825 ndash;1899), U.S. Congressman from Delaware *James D. Williams (1808 ndash;1880), US Representative from Indiana and governor of Indiana *James E. Williams (mayor) …   Wikipedia

  • James Williams — puede referirse a: James Arthur Williams, más conocido como Jim Williams; James Williams, basquetbolista norteamericano; Esta página de desambiguación cataloga artículos relacionados con el mismo título. Si llegaste aquí a través de …   Wikipedia Español

  • Williams (Familienname) — Williams ist ein englischer Familienname. Bedeutung Der Name ist eine patronymische Ableitung und bedeutet Sohn des William. Verbreitung Williams ist mit 0,69 Prozent Namensträgern an der Gesamtbevölkerung dritthäufigster Familienname in den… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Arthur B. Williams — Arthur Bruce Williams (* 27. Januar 1872 in Ashland, Ohio; † 1. Mai 1925 in Baltimore, Maryland) war ein US amerikanischer Politiker. Zwischen 1923 und 1925 vertrat er den Bundesstaat …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • James Alton McDivitt — James McDivitt Land (Behörde): USA (NASA) Datum der Auswahl: 17. September 1962 (2. NASA Gruppe) Anzahl der Raumflüge: 2 Start erster Raumflug …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”