A wrongfully convicted man who spent 25 years on death row has been shot dead while attending a funeral following his release. The sick twist of fate occurred while Christopher Williams, 62, attended the funeral of an ex-inmate on Friday.
Williams was released from prison in February 2021 after he was exonerated for four murders. He was previously acquitted on two other murders in cases all derived from the same informant.
The father-of-six was shot once in the head after getting out of his car at Mount Peace Cemetery in north Philadelphia just before 2.30pm local time.
He was driving in the funeral procession of another previously incarcerated man, Tyree Little.
The killing comes amid a massive crime wave in the city, which has seen more than 500 homicides this year.
The state of Pennsylvania does not offer compensation to the wrongly exonerated, however the city of Philadelphia has paid out settlements of around $10 million each to other exonerees who spent 25 years or more in prison.
Williams’ own lawsuit filed against Philadelphia remained pending when he was killed.
His co-defendant in a triple murder, Theophalis “Bilal” Wilson, who was exonerated after 28 years in prison, told The Inquirer some still do not believe the men are innocent.
“Although we’re actually innocent, not everyone believes it,” he said.
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Originally sentenced to death for the murders of the three drug dealers, Williams was also convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole for the killing of Michael Haynesworth.
However, Williams was exonerated for these crimes after Philadelphia District Attorney’s Conviction Integrity Unit discovered testimony against him was inconsistent with physical evidence from the case.
Williams was then set free after serving 29 years behind bars – 25 of those on death row.
His family said he aspired to start a construction company and a re-entry program for former prisoners. There have been no arrests in his killing.
