Grant Williams was only 25-years-old when he was reportedly identified as the gunman in a 1996 Staten Island murder case, resulting in his arrest and sentence of life in prison, according to the New York Times. Though he continued to maintain his innocence, Williams wouldn’t get out until 2019, when he was paroled and released from prison after 23 years. This past Thursday, though, Williams finally received vindication after a judge ruled to overturn his past conviction decades after he was sent away to serve time.
According to the New York Times, there was little evidence pointing to Williams as the assailant in the case, with no murder weapon being traced to him. The shooting victim, Shdell Lewis, was reportedly walking alongside a friend on an early April 1996 night when a person dressed in a dark jacket shot at him multiple times, resulting in fatal wounds.
“You never know how much strength you have until it’s tested.” — Grant Williams, free after 23 years.
SO proud of him & my sister-in-law’s father, Williams’ defense attorney Irving Cohen, who has spent decades in this work. Mazel tov grandpa Irv!https://t.co/4OLGVjHhhy
— Dave Cavell (@DavidFCavell) July 23, 2021
Lewis’ friend and witness to the shooting told police that it wasn’t Williams who pulled the trigger that night, the New York Times reported, but he didn’t testify at the suspect’s trial. Also according to the outlet, a local police officer who allegedly chased the gunman reported him as “5-foot-5 and stocky,” not the over 6 feet that Williams was.
The district attorney’s office, who conducted a new investigation into the case, filed a report obtained by the New York Times, reportedly stating, “This case was pushed through as ‘solved’ within four hours and no further investigation or corroboration was sought thereafter,” continuing, “This was essentially a ‘one witness murder case.’”
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According to the New York Times, Williams faithfully commented about his Thursday vacated conviction, “You never know how much strength you have until it’s tested. I never lost strength.”
What do you think about Williams’ exoneration after all these years? Let us know your thoughts in the comments?
