ROCKWALL, Texas — The estranged wife of a convicted murderer Eric Williams, a former Kaufman County justice of the peace, testified during the punishment phase of his trial today at the Rockwall County courthouse.
ROCKWALL, Texas — The estranged wife of a convicted murderer Eric Williams, a former Kaufman County justice of the peace, testified during the punishment phase of his trial today at the Rockwall County courthouse.
Kim Williams was called to the stand today during the prosecution’s rebuttal in the punishment phase. Kim filed for divorce after both she and Eric were arrested and charged with capital murder in the deaths of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland, his wife, Cynthia, and Kaufman County prosecutor Mark Hasse.
The state and defense both rested their cases in the punishment phase just after noon. Closing arguments ended at approximately 3 p.m. and the jury deliberated until just before 6 p.m. when they chose to recess until tomorrow morning. The jury has been sequestered.
Kim testified the state had not offered any deal for lesser charges or immunity when it came time for her to stand trial for the murders, instead, she said she “hoped for a consideration of leniency.”
In her testimony, she spoke in depth about the plans to kill the McLellands, Hasse, former Kaufman County District Court Judge Glen Ashworth, and former Kaufman County Court at Law Judge Erleigh Wiley who now serves as the county’s district attorney.
Initially, Kim said she didn’t take Eric’s talk of killing people seriously, “but, he kept talking about it.”
“I was so drugged up and believed everything he told me,” Kim said. “His anger was my anger.”
Eric had planned to kill Judge Ashworth with a crossbow at his home which is within a couple hundred yards from Williams’ home in the 1600 block of Overlook Drive. After killing Ashworth, Eric planned to bore out his stomach with a knife and dump napalm in his stomach, Kim stated.
Kim also testified Eric had alternate plans of kidnapping Ashworth and putting him in their freezer or burying him in the backyard. Eric went so far as to dig up the flower bed to see if a body would fit, Kim said.
His motivation for killing Ashworth? According to Kim, it began years ago because Eric believe Ashworth was “prissy,” a “Prima Donna,” and became upset with Eric often.
The motivation intensified during a theft case in which Eric was convicted of theft which resulted in the loss of his law license and seat as the justice of the peace. Eric believed Ashworth told prosecutors about an incident in Hunstville, Texas, with a former girlfriend, Janice Gray. Eric allegedly pulled a gun on Gray at a restaurant after she broke off their relationship — Ashworth saved Eric of any prosecution in that instance.
Eric took trips on his Segway through a field both his home and Ashworth’s home backed up to where he had planned, and purchased bolt cutters, to cut through Ashworth’s fence.
Eric had first planned on shooting Mark Hasse while positioned at a Sonic restaurant across the street from the Kaufman County Courthouse parking lot, according to Kim. He also had plans of shooting Hasse as he pulled out of his Rockwall area home’s driveway. Eric and Kim even went so far as to stake out Hasse’s home while Eric took notes.
Instead, Eric planned what he dubbed the “Tombstone” plan which was to gun Hasse down in the street in broad daylight much like the actors in the 1993 movie Tombstone. He followed through with that plan on January 31, 2013, according to Kim who said she was the get-a-way driver.
Kim described the morning of January 31, 2013, as “cold” and there was “excitement in the air.”
Eric instructed Kim to park the car facing an exit in the parking lot. As Hasse walked passed their vehicle, Eric exited the vehicle, caught up to Hasse, and confronted him — ultimately shooting him to death.
Kim said she could not watch Eric, who was wearing a bullet proof vest and a “reaper Halloween mask,” kill another man. “I couldn't watch him kill someone,” she said.
The killing of Hasse was done in a public way for the “shock factor,” Kim testified. They had visited the parking lot several times prior to the shooting.
Kim talked in detail about the purchase of the vehicles in the Hasse and McLelland killings. In the Hasse killing, Eric wanted something that blended in with other cars on the road, said Kim. The transmission went out in the first vehicle. So, in the McLelland killings, Eric wanted something that resembled a law enforcement vehicle to assist in gaining entry to the McLelland’s home.
Eric planned on Cynthia McLelland answering the door to her home on Easter weekend 2013, Kim said. While dressed in police tactical gear, including a tactical helmet, goggles, a partial face mask, and donning a “Sheriff” patch on the front of a bullet proof vest, Eric planned on telling Cynthia there were gunman in the area so she would let him in thinking he was there to protect them.
Instead, Eric gunned her down as he walked through the front door, prior testimony indicated. He then entered the home further where he gunned down Mike McLelland. While leaving, he shot Cynthia once more because she was still moaning, Kim testified Eric later told her.
That same day, after killing the McLellands, Eric and Kim went to her parents' house, just a couple hundred feet from their home on Overlook Drive, for a cookout and celebratory steaks. They were “happy and joyous,” said Kim.
Later that night, they drove to Lake Tawakoni and dumped a bag, with what Kim believed contained guns, into the lake off the State Highway 276 bridge. A Texas Department of Public Safety dive team later recovered those guns in a bag which also contained a mask and phone. One gun was linked through purchase records to Kim who testified the mask and phone belonged to Eric.
While in Quinlan, Texas, Eric received a call from law enforcement, said Kim. They then drove to the Denny’s parking lot in Kaufman, Texas, where investigators performed a gun-shot residue test on Eric’s hands. Later testimony indicated the test came back positive. Kim said Eric did not attempt to wash his hands prior to their arrival at Denny’s. The two also surrendered their phones to law enforcement at that meeting.
Kim believed the consent for the gun-shot residue test and the surrender of their phones was an unwise choice on her husband’s behalf.
Kim testified Eric had sent tips to law enforcement through the Kaufman County Crime Stoppers tip line to “screw” with police and attempt to redirect their investigation.
Through several phases of the investigation, Eric had given television news stations interviews. Kim said he became “arrogant” and “thrilled” to watch himself on TV. “He liked showing off his Segway,” she said. “He acted like nothing had happened.”
When it came to Eric’s desire to kill then-County Court at Law Judge Wiley, Kim said Eric believed Wiley “screwed him over” on CPS cases to which Eric was receiving payment as an ad litem.
Wiley also testified today about a meeting she and Eric had in her office pertaining to billing discrepancies Eric was submitting to the county for his ad litem work. Wiley said Eric was over billing the county, and the taxpayers who ultimately footed his bill, which exceeded $200,000 one year. Eric voluntarily withdrew his name from the ad litem rotation list after the meeting only to ask to be replaced approximately six months to a year later, which Wiley allowed.
Briefly, Kim was asked if Eric was faithful during their marriage. She said, “no.”
Kim also testified Eric had planned to kill her and himself had he carried out the killings on his hit list which he kept in his mind. Twice, Kim said, Eric shot a gun in her direction. She believed he may have attempted to kill her at least once when he shot the gun in her direction but the second time may have been a mistake although she described Eric as a “marksman.”
Eric hated cats, according to Kim. He had killed two that she knew of — one of which was killed behind their house and Eric brought to the front of the house and threw into the middle of the street.
On cross-examination, Kim testified the attorney’s in Eric’s prior theft case had “coached” her. “Have you been similarly coached today?” defense attorney Matthew Seymour asked. “No,” Kim responded.
Kims said she wrote Eric approximately 25 times while he was in jail but she no longer loves him.
The state entered a couple other items of clothing and a key to Ashworth’s ranch into evidence and rested their case in punishment. The defense then rested.
The defense argued Eric is no longer a threat to society because his revenge had been delivered and asked the jury he be sentenced to a life in prison without the possibility of parole instead of a death sentence which the state has sought since the beginning.
In his closing arguments, special prosecutor Bill Wirskye said Eric, "launched an unprecedented attack on our judicial system. He crossed a line few dare to cross. He is a psychopath"