KAUFMAN, Texas — In a plea agreement with the state, Kim Williams pled guilty to the murder of Kaufman County prosecutor Mark Hasse and received 40 years in prison.
KAUFMAN, Texas — In a plea agreement with the state, Kim Williams pled guilty to the murder of Kaufman County prosecutor Mark Hasse and received 40 years in prison.
In 2013, Williams was indicted on three counts of capital murder in the deaths of Hasse, Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland, and his wife, Cynthia. Her husband, Eric Williams, was convicted of capital murder in the death of Cynthia McLelland earlier this month and sentenced to death by a Rockwall County jury.
Williams’ hearing was held in Kaufman County’s 422nd District Court this morning with presiding Dallas County District Court Judge Mike Snipes.
The reduced sentence makes Williams eligible for parole in 20 years, according to the state. The family members of the victims said they would oppose any parole.
“It brings a little bit of closure but it doesn’t make up for the loss,” JR McLelland, Mike McLelland’s son, said following the sentencing. “She didn’t pull the trigger, but she knew about it all … she could’ve stopped it.”
“We’re okay with that,” said McLelland on the 40 year sentence. “She wasn’t the plan maker, she didn’t do it all. She followed him … But, she didn’t try to get out so 40 years is what she has to do for it.”
On the plea agreement, Special Prosecutor Bill Wirskye said, “We considered the nature and extent of her cooperation in the case, the type of information she provided. We also considered obviously her role in the offense. She did not actually pull the trigger in these crimes.”
“We got together with our investigative team, some total of over 500 years of law enforcement experience, and we got together with the family,” said Wirskye. “We all felt this was an appropriate end to these murders.”
Hasse was gunned down near the Kaufman County Courthouse Annex parking lot on January 31, 2013. The McLellands were shot to death in their Forney, Texas, area home over Easter weekend.
Williams testified in the punishment phase during Eric Williams trial on behalf of the state and said she was a “willing participant” in the killings which were revenge for Mike McLelland and Hasse’s prosecution of Eric Williams for burglary of a building and theft by a public servant which resulted in the loss of Eric Williams’ law license and seat as justice of the peace.
“His anger was my anger,” Williams said during that testimony.
Williams will temporarily remain jailed in the Kaufman County Jail until she is ultimately transferred to state prison.
