Scared Monkeys Discussion Forum

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/20882390/kaufman-co-worker-shot-in-front-of-courthouse
Kaufman Co. prosecutor Mark Hasse killed near courthouse
January 31, 2013

KAUFMAN, Texas (AP) -- An assistant district attorney was shot and killed Thursday morning near the North Texas courthouse where he worked, and authorities said they were searching through his cases to try to find clues about why he may have been targeted.

Mark Hasse, 57, had exited his vehicle in the parking lot behind the Kaufman County Courthouse annex and was walking toward the building when a masked gunman shot him multiple times just before 9 a.m., Kaufman County authorities said. Hasse was taken away in an ambulance, but it's unclear if he died at the hospital or en route.

Investigators were talking to witnesses and had some leads but had not arrested anyone as of Thursday afternoon, Kaufman Police Chief Chris Aulbaugh said. He urged the public to come forward with tips. The suspect or suspects were believed to have fled in a brown or silver older model Ford Taurus. Officials didn't immediately indicate any motive for the shooting in Kaufman, located about 33 miles southeast of Dallas.
 ::snipping2::
Hasse, who previously worked as an assistant prosecutor in Dallas County, had worked in Kaufman County for three years. McLelland said Hasse worked hard and took work home with him at night and on weekends. He called him the office "storyteller."

Investigators gathered in a parking lot adjacent to the annex where the prosecutor was shot. Yellow tape and law enforcement vehicles blocked the area from spectators. Aulbaugh said a $20,000 reward was being offered.

"It's going to take a long time to get over this," said Wayne Gent, an attorney whose law office is on the courthouse square. "And the thing is -- everybody's vulnerable."

Gent said he had a security system installed at the courthouse when he served as Kaufman County judge but that no system could prevent a shooting that occurs outside.

"How do you protect against that?" he asked.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Craig-Watkins-shares-his-reactions-189362761.html
Reward increased to $71,150 for suspects in Kaufman County assistant DA murder
Posted February 1, 2013, Updated February 2, 2013

ALLAS –– In an interview with News 8 Friday morning, Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins shared his concerns over the lack of security for prosecutors and revealed the county's plan to match a reward in the case of the shooting death of Mark Hasse.
An assistant district attorney in Kaufman County, Hasse was fatally shot Thursday morning while outside the courthouse. The suspects fled the scene, leading to a massive search that continues.
During a morning press conference, Kaufman Police Chief Chris Aulbaugh said Hasse was shot "multiple times in the body causing his death." He would not release further information regarding his body or whether Hasse’s wallet or any other property was missing when he was found.
DPS sources confirmed to News 8 Friday Hasse was carrying a gun when he was  killed. Hasse was licensed to carry a gun as a certified peace officer. It is unclear if he attempted to use the weapon.
Aulbaugh would also not discuss particulars of the crime scene, saying releasing such details would compromise the infant investigation. Placards seen near where Hasse was gunned down Thursday did not indicate bullet fragments or shell casings, the chief added.
"Any time we process a major crime scene, placards are used to identify potential evidence," he said. "Once we release that crime scene, any evidence that remains may be questionable."
Authorities have still not released a description of the suspects. Department of Public Safety officials sent out an alert to be on the lookout for an older model Ford Taurus after the shooting. That was it, though –– Aulbaugh said if police knew the license plate number of the getaway car, it would have been released.
 ::snipping2::
While the crime hung over the city Friday, Byrnes and Aulbagh were quick to quell any speculation that this was anything but an isolated incident. Hours after the shooting, the Department of Justice issued a news release thanking Hasse’s agency for its help in an investigation into the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas gang.
Byrnes and Aulbagh said the timing of that release appears to be purely coincidental. Typically, local agencies such as Kaufman County’s DA Office will turn the case over to state and federal prosecutors, who can secure stiffer punishments.
"We have no specific information that the Aryan Brotherhood is a fact here. We have no indication that Mr. Hasse had directly worked any cases recently that were related to the Aryan Brotherhood," Aulbaugh said. However, "It doesn't rule out that someone that he had handled had involvement."
At this time, Byrnes said, there's no indication that any county workers are being targeted.
More...

Video at Link

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/dallas/Dallas-DA-Watkins-apologizes-for-reporting-false-arrest-in-Kaufman-prosecutor-slaying-189446391.html
Dallas DA Watkins apologizes for reporting false arrest in Kaufman prosecutor slaying
February 1, 2013

DALLAS –– Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins has issued a statement apologizing for telling News 8 and the Dallas Morning News that someone was arrested for the murder of Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse.
"I received what I thought was credible information and regret that the source was wrong," he wrote. "In hindsight, it was inappropriate to comment and I am sorry for any confusion this caused."
Hasse was gunned down outside the Kaufman County Courthouse on Thursday. Those responsible, at least one and possibly two, are still at large. No one has been arrested.
 ::snipping2::
The Dallas County Medical Examiner is conducting an autopsy of Hasse's body. A report is not expected for eight to 12 weeks.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/texas-prosecutor-killed-shot-times-courthouse-article-1.1252117 (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/texas-prosecutor-killed-shot-times-courthouse-article-1.1252117)


Texas prosecutor killed after getting shot five times near courthouse; two suspects at large
Mark Hasse, 57, a Kaufman County assistant district attorney, was exiting his car when he was approached by the suspects.
Comments (100)
By David Boroff / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Published: Thursday, January 31, 2013, 12:27 PM
Updated: Thursday, January 31, 2013, 7:14 PM

 A prosecutor was killed after getting shot five times near the courthouse in a small Texas town on Thursday morning, and two suspects remain on the loose.

The victim has been identified as Mark Hasse, 57, an assistant district attorney for Kaufman County.

Hasse was exiting his car on his way to court in Kaufman, a town of fewer than 7,000, when he was approached by two suspects just before 9 a.m., the Dallas Morning News reported.

The shooting took place in a parking lot where many prosecutors and judges park. Hasse was taken away in ambulance, though it remains unclear whether he died at the hospital or en route.

 ::snipping2::

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/01/justice/texas-courthouse-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 (http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/01/justice/texas-courthouse-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t2)

Attorney: Slain Texas prosecutor feared for life, brought gun to work
By Michael Martinez and Mariano Castillo, CNN
updated 10:59 PM EST, Fri February 1, 2013

(CNN) -- The Texas prosecutor shot to death in broad daylight outside a courthouse had feared for his life and carried a gun to work, according to a Dallas attorney describing herself as his friend.

Colleen A. Dunbar told CNN that she spoke with Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse on January 24, and he told her he began carrying a gun in and out of the county courthouse on a daily basis.

Hasse was gunned down in the parking lot while going to work Thursday. Investigators on Friday were reviewing his caseload for possible clues about what led to his killing.

Dunbar described Hasse, whom she had known for 31 years, as a lifelong gun owner and firearms lover.

"He told me he would use a different exit every day because he was fearful for his life," she told CNN.
 ::snipping2::




So this good guy carrying a gun was unable to protect himself likely do to the element of surprise  ::MonkeyNoNo::

Klaas, there' a thread started in "Unsolved Crimes" on this case, so I'll merge yours with it.  ::bee::

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Solemn-memorial-honors-slain-Kaufman-prosecutor-190543491.html
Solemn memorial honors slain Kaufman prosecutor
February 9, 2013

TERRELL — Hundreds of people paused to remember slain Kaufman County prosecutor Mark Hasse at a memorial service on Saturday afternoon.
They shared fond memories of Hasse in and out of the courtroom.
Hasse was shot and killed on January 31 on a street near the Kaufman County Courthouse.
We've heard so much about this case, the investigation, and the continuing manhunt for the person or persons responsible.
 ::snipping2::
The reward for finding Hasse's killer now stands at $71,000, and is expected to grow.
Investigators have reviewed surveillance tape from the area, and they said they are continuing to follow up on any leads.
A number of different law enforcement agencies are working together in the search for the killer.

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/ellis-kaufman/headlines/20130219-aryan-brotherhood-of-texas-is-focus-as-clues-sought-in-kaufman-prosecutors-slaying.ece
Aryan Brotherhood of Texas is focus as clues sought in Kaufman prosecutor’s slaying
February 19, 203

U.S. marshals have been fanning out across the state in recent weeks to question members of the violent Aryan Brotherhood of Texas about the killing of a Kaufman County prosecutor and other threats to law enforcement by the white supremacist gang.
Authorities are no closer to finding out who gunned down highly respected assistant district attorney Mark Hasse, but a San Antonio-based official with the U.S. Marshals Service, one of several agencies assisting Kaufman police, recently wrote in a widely circulated email, “The focus of our investigation involves the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) being responsible for the murder of the ADA.”
In December, the Texas Department of Public Safety issued a statewide bulletin warning that authorities had received “credible information” that the Aryan Brotherhood was “actively planning retaliation against law enforcement officials” who helped secure indictments in Houston against dozens of members, including the gang’s leadership.
More...

Video at Link

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Investigation-Into-Kaufman-Co-Prosecutors-Slaying-Continues-191926901.html
Investigation Into Kaufman Co. Prosecutor's Slaying Continues
February 19, 2013

An old armory building that was converted into a Kaufman County Sheriff's Department training facility is currently serving as the command center for the investigation into the slaying of a county prosecutor.

Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse was shot to death in the parking lot behind the courthouse annex building on the morning of Jan. 31. Some investigators have referred to the slaying as an assassination of a public servant.

The command center serves several purposes. It allows for more coordination between the federal, state and local authorities directly involved in the investigation and serves as a warehouse for all the leads being vetted. Because it is offsite, it is not accessible to the public and should cut down on any leaks that could potentially hurt the investigation,
More...
Video at Link

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Mark-Hasse-Reward-Fund-Up-to-100000-193128951.html
Mark Hasse Reward Fund Up to $100,000
Tipsters may remain anonymous
February 25, 2013

The reward offered in the murder case of slain Kaufman County assistant district attorney Mark Hasse has grown to $100,000.

Pat Laney, Kaufman County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman, said so many people have donated to the Mark Hasse reward fund that it has now eclipsed six figures.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/austin/kaufman-co-attorney-wife-found-dead
Kaufman Co attorney, wife found dead
Deaths follow shooting of assistant DA in January
March 30, 2013

FORNEY, Texas (KXAS) -
The Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife were found dead in their home Saturday night, police say.

Investigators with the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department confirmed the deaths to NBC 5 Saturday night, but had little else to say in the early stages of the investigation.

Police have not said when the couple was found, how they were found or if they have any leads in the case. Additionally, investigators have not yet confirmed how the couple died.

Additionally, investigators have also not said whether the murders are connected to the slaying of Kaufman County assistant district attorney Mark Hasse, who was gunned down on his way to work in January .
 ::snipping2::
To date, no arrests have been made in connection with Hasse's murder.

I've started a thread in Unsolved Crimes for the deaths of Mike McLelland and his wife Cynthia.

http://scaredmonkeys.net/index.php?topic=14194.msg1556063#msg1556063
Kaufman County DA Mike McLelland and Wife Found Slain in Home

This is a frightening scenario... mafia-esque, highly organized.  With two DA's murdered now it could offer more clarity on who is responsible, some links between the two might surface.  The public servants/prosecutors involved with this courthouse deserve some security and protection until the perps are caught.

 ::MonkeyShocked:: ::MonkeyNoNo::

 ::rhino::

http://www.kltv.com/story/21836899/report-kaufman-county-da-wife-killed

BREAKING NEWS

Kaufman County D.A. and wife found dead

Posted: Mar 30, 2013 9:49 PM CDT
Updated: Mar 30, 2013 11:45 PM CDT
By Marshall Stephens - email
and Brett Collar - email

KAUFMAN COUNTY, TX (KLTV) -
Kaufman County Public Information Officer Justin Lewis tells KLTV that Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife were found dead Saturday.

Additional Links
Police: 'We will not stop' in search for prosecutor's killers

Details on where they were found and how they died have not yet been released. The Kaufman County Sheriff's office is continuing to investigate.

WFAA in Dallas is reporting that McLelland and his wife Cynthia were found shot dead inside their Forney home on Saturday night. They also say that the front door of McLelland's home was kicked in. Currently the FBI, a U.S. Marshal's Task Force and Texas Rangers are at the scene.

Officials also said that it is not yet clear if this is related to the shooting death of former Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse. Hasse was shot in the parking lot of the Kaufman County Courthouse Annex building Thursday, January 31.

According to the Kaufman County District Attorney's web site, McLelland attended Navarro Junior College and then transferred to the University of Texas. He spent 23 years in the United States Army. McLelland and his wife have two daughters and three sons. They had been married for 17 years.

 ::snipping2::

http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/general/deputy-texas-district-attorney-wife-found-dead/nW77b/
Mayor: Deaths of Texas DA, wife 'not a random act'
March 31, 2013

KAUFMAN, Texas — Two months after one of his assistant prosecutors was gunned down, a north Texas district attorney and his wife were found killed in their home, authorities said.
The bodies of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, were found in their home Saturday, Kaufman County sheriff's Lt. Justin Lewis said. Authorities would not comment on a motive.
 ::snipping2::
Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse was shot to death in a parking lot a block from his office on Jan. 31. No arrests have been made in his death
 ::snipping2::
Sam Rosander, who lives in the same unincorporated area of Kaufman County as the McLellands, told the AP on Saturday that sheriff's deputies were parked in the district attorney's driveway for about a month after Hasse was killed.
Aulbaugh said recently that the FBI was checking to see if Hasse's killing could be related to the March 19 killing of Colorado Department of Corrections head Tom Clements, who was gunned down after answering the doorbell at his home.
Evan Spencer Ebel, a former Colorado inmate and white supremacist who authorities believe killed Clements and a pizza deliveryman two days earlier, was killed in a March 21 shootout with Texas deputies about 100 miles from Kaufman.
Hasse was chief of the organized crime unit when he was an assistant prosecutor in Dallas County in the 1980s, and he handled similar cases in Kaufman County.
"Anything anybody can think of, we're looking through," McLelland said after Hasse's death.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/DAs-murder-raises-fears-of-wider-plot-200782531.html
DA's murder raises fears of wider plot
March 31, 2013

FORNEY — The murders of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife are especially frightening as their deaths follow the murder of Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse just two months ago.
It raises fears that their deaths could be part of a wider plot to target law enforcement officials.
We are expecting questions at a 10 a.m. news conference to focus on whether investigators have developed any links between the cases.
Hasse was shot and killed on January 31 as he walked from his car to the Kaufman County Courthouse on the town square in Kaufman. The case remains unsolved.
Investigators — including Mike McLelland — were poring over Hasse's old cases and looking into whether or not efforts to prosecute members of the Ayran Brotherhood white supremacist gang were connected.
To this date, nothing has materialized — at least no information has been released to the public.
 ::snipping2::
Video at Link

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/search-home-former-kaufman-county-justice-peace-eric-williams-mike-mclelland-mark-hasse-202764651.html
Authorities searching home of former Kaufman County judge who had deep ties to slain prosecutors
April 12, 2013

Investigators are searching the home of former Kaufman County justice of the peace Eric Lyle Williams, who has previously been questioned in the murders of District Attorney Mike McLelland, his wife Cynthia and prosecutor Mark Hasse.
Federal and local agencies, including the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department, the FBI and Texas Rangers, served the search warrant Friday at 3:30 p.m. The document is sealed. Investigators are also searching the home of a relative and the neighborhood is blocked off.
A source speaking on the condition of anonymity said authorities are searching for weapons, computer files and records.
Williams has not been charged in the murders of Hasse or McLelland.
In March 2012, Williams, 46, was convicted of theft by a public servant and burglary of a building. He was caught on courthouse surveillance coming and going from the county's IT department clutching computer monitors.
McLelland and Hasse aggressively prosecuted Williams. During the trial, Hasse hurled insults at him, calling Williams a "liar," "crooked official" and a "thief," the Forney Post reported.
Quoting from the paper, in closing arguments Hasse said: “The Defendant’s actions are incredible beyond belief and stupid. Do we really need to do an official County memo that says do not steal from the County. Do not circumvent the county’s security measures.”
During last year's corruption trial, the courthouse was on heightened alert considering Williams was in law enforcement and an elected judge. Williams is also a member of the Texas State Guard. When his vehicle was searched in the computer theft case, authorities testified they found several military-style weapons and a "considerable" amount of ammunition, the Post reported.
 ::snipping2::
In a dramatic development during Williams' corruption trial, Kaufman County Judge Bruce Wood testified that the former justice of the peace had asked him in a letter to use his influence to call off the criminal investigation against him. Wood declined.
The Post quoted Hasse as saying, "The Defendant did not ask Judge Wood to investigate to help clear this up because he is innocent. In the letter he accepts responsibility. He says I’ve done something wrong, and I’ve learned my lesson, hoping for some kind of back-door favor. He is an elected public servant and he is a thief and a liar. We ask you to find him guilty.”
During the sentencing phase of the trial, prosecutor Hasse revealed that Williams threatened to kill an ex-girlfriend in Huntsville "involving the display of a handgun," according to court records. He also threatened the life of a Kaufman attorney and his family in 2010, according to prosecutor's records.
Williams is appealing his convictions.
In Nov. 2011, Williams' attorney filed a motion to disqualify District Attorney McLelland from the case.
"The indictment of Mr. Williams was not the result of a crime having been committed as much as it was an attempt to settle a political grudge," wrote San Marcos-based Attorney David Sergi in the motion. "Mr. Williams and Mr. McLelland are political enemies, nothing more."
Last month, hours after McLelland and his wife were found murdered in their Forney home, Williams volunteered to give a swab of his hand to authorities so they could search for gun residue. He also voluntarily gave officials his cell phone.
 ::snipping2::

Video at Link

http://www.kaufmanherald.com/news/article_4cc5f508-a3c7-11e2-ab3a-0019bb2963f4.html
Law enforcement activity in housing addition continues
April 12, 2013

A taskforce looking for the murderers of Mike and Cynthia McLelland and of Mark Hasse, continue to blockade a housing addition on FM 1388 (Houston Street) just a block or so south of U.S. Highway 175.
A former publisher of The Kaufman Herald, who lives in the Wellington Addition, said that he was allowed to go to his home, but it is located "around the corner" from the law enforcement activity.
"(Law enforcement) pretty much have it buttoned up," Micahael Gresham said of the police presence.
Lt. Justin Lewis said earlier today that the taskforce was "executing a search warrant at this time in the City of Kaufman, in relation to the joint investigation.
Lewis also said rumors of more shooting are untrue and that law enforcement is "just executing the warrant," refusing to say where in the Wellington Addition.
The collaborative law enforcement effort to solve the murders is headed up by the sheriff's office, Texas Rangers, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Law enforcement has set up roadblocks near the Highway 175 service road adjacent to the Crossroads Liquor Store and at FM 1388's north side intersection with State Highway 34.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.kvue.com/home/202843491.html
Former Kaufman County JP arrested
April 13, 2013

Kaufman County records show that former Justice of the Peace Eric Williams has been arrested.
He's the man whose house authorities were searching on Friday afternoon and into the night in connection with their investigation of the Kaufman County prosecutor murders.
Williams, 46, was booked into the Kaufman County Jail at 12:32 a.m. Saturday and charged with making a "terroristic threat." Bond was set at $1 million.
The district attorney's office prosecuted and convicted Williams last year for theft. He lost his justice of the peace position as a result.
Investigators spent hours in Williams' home and that of his in-laws on Friday. The two families live on the same street in Kaufman. They removed boxes, computers and guns.
It's now been two weeks since investigators found the bodies of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife in their home near Forney. Prosecutor Mark Hasse was shot and killed on his way to the courthouse on January 31.
Eric Williams has links to both McLelland and Hasse but has not been charged in connection with their deaths.
 ::snipping2::
Video at Link

http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/FBI-searches-storage-facility-in-Seagoville-202873101.html
Feds search storage facility in Seagoville
April 13, 2013

SEAGOVILLE — Dozens of federal agents and Texas Rangers spent more than six hours executing a search warrant Saturday evening at a self-storage facility in Seagoville.
An FBI spokesperson would not confirm who owns the unit targeted at Gibson Self Storage, but said investigators were "following up on leads" releated to the Kaufman County murder investigation.
Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife were found dead at their home near Forney last month; and assistant DA Mark Hesse was gunned down as he walked to the county courthouse in January.
Officials would not say whether the search in Seagoville was linked to Friday's search at the home of former Kaufman Justice of the Peace Eric Williams. Williams was arrested late Friday and charged with making a "terroristic threat."
FBI and ATF agents and members of the Texas Rangers could be seen taking photos and walking in and out of the gated facility. They carried bags and boxes of evidence away from the scene.
A white sedan that was pushed out of one of the units appeared to be getting special attention from the investigative team.
 ::snipping2::

Video at Link

http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/Former-Kaufman-County-JP-arrested--202836071.html
Charges expected in Kaufman County murders
April 13, 2013

KAUFMAN — Sources tell News 8 there is strong evidence linking former Kaufman County Justice of the Peace Eric Williams to the murders of District Attorney Mike McClelland and his wife and to the murder of prosecutor Mark Hasse.
Charges are expected soon.
According to sources, weapons similar to those used in the murders were found during the search of Williams' Kaufman residence on Friday.
State and federal agents executed a search warrant at a storage facility in Seagoville on Saturday night, but they would not say whether that development was linked to Williams.
Williams was jailed after being arrested early Saturday morning.
Law enforcement sources confirmed to WFAA that Williams, 46, was picked up at his home and taken to the Kaufman County Jail. The jail website showed that he was booked at 12:32 a.m.
The arrest follows Friday's exhaustive search of his Kaufman home by federal agents.
Late Saturday, Kaufman County Sheriff's Department spokesman Lt. Justin Lewis told News 8 that Williams has not been charged with the McLelland or Hasse murders and is not a suspect or a prime suspect.
FBI spokeswoman Katherine Chaumont in Seagoville echoed Lt. Lewis' statement.
"Now knowing that they arrested him on a terroristic threat charge, it could just be one of those things that he made comments to somebody and they are having to run down those leads," said legal expert and attorney Pete Schulte.
Bond was set at $3 million total; $1 million for the threat charge and $1 million each on two charges of "insufficient bond."
"To raise it as high as $1 million, the judge is like, 'You know the best place for Mr. Williams at this point is in jail until we can figure out what's going on,'" Schulte said.
As of late Saturday night, Williams had not been charged with any murders. Our calls to Williams' attorney were not returned.
Williams was convicted last year of stealing from the county. He lost his position as justice of the peace because of it.
Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse and District Attorney Mike McClelland are the two who prosecuted him. McLelland was murdered last month; Hasse was slain in January.
 ::snipping2::
While Eric Williams has links to both McLelland and Hasse, he has not been charged in connection with their deaths. The Kaufman County Sheriff's Office said no additional information about Williams' arrest would be forthcoming on Saturday.
Williams' attorney, David Sergi, issued this statement on Friday, before the arrest:
"He has cooperated with law enforcement and vigorously denies any and all allegations. He wishes simply to get on with his life and hopes that the perpetrators are brought to justice."
Earlier this month, Williams said he voluntarily submitted to a gun residue test and turned over his cellphone after authorities contacted him while investigating the deaths of the McLellands.
Sergi has said Williams also submitted to a gun residue test and gave his cellphone to authorities when he was questioned after Hasse's death.
Authorities have released little information about the case except to say they continue to follow leads, including possible ties to a white supremacist gang.
One month before Hasse's death, the Texas Department of Public Safety issued a warning to authorities statewide that the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas could retaliate for an October indictment that targeted some of its leaders. McLelland's office was involved in that investigation.
Two other men have been arrested this month for "making a terroristic threat" in connection to the Kaufman County DA murder investigation.
Robert Miller is accused of threatening a county official on Facebook. Nick Morale is accused of leaving a threatening message on a telephone tip line set up to solicit information about the murders.
Miler and Morale both remain jailed on $1 million bond each.
A prayer walk is planned at the courthouse in Kaufman on Sunday afternoon on behalf of county workers and anyone else affected by the murders of two top officials. The walk is scheduled from noon until 1:30 p.m.
 ::snipping2::
Video at Link

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/21964652/fbi-searching-home-of
Ex-Kaufman Co. JP arrested after home searched
Posted April 12, 2013, Updated April 13, 2013

KAUFMAN, Texas -
Former Kaufman County Justice of the Peace Eric Williams was arrested and booked into jail early Saturday morning after state and federal agents searched his home.

Eric Lyle Williams, 46, is being held on a $3 million bond at Kaufman County Jail.

He is charged with one count of making a terroristic threat and two counts of insufficient bond relating to a theft and burglary conviction from last year. Each charge carries a $1 million bond. FOX 4 has attempted to contact authorities and Williams' attorney for comment about the charges.

Williams is not charged with the murders of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland, his wife Cynthia, and Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse. Investigators have not named a person of interest in this triple murder investigation.
 ::snipping2::
Williams is a former Kaufman Co. JP who was tried by both prosecutor Mark Hasse and D.A. Mike McLelland and convicted of theft charges in 2012. He had to give up his JP seat due to the conviction.

Williams has been previously questioned by authorities, but has not been named a suspect in the McLelland case. His attorney issued a statement Friday night vigorously denying any allegations against his client.
 ::snipping2::
The search warrant was executed by the FBI, Kaufman County Sheriff's deputies and the Texas Rangers. All documents are sealed in this case.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.kvue.com/home/202933541.html
Weapons, vehicle seized in Kaufman murders probe
April 14, 2013

News 8 has learned that 20 weapons were recovered from a unit at a Seagoville self-storage locker in connection with the unsolved Kaufman County murders.
Sources said the locker had been rented on behalf of former Kaufman County Justice of the Peace Eric Williams, who is curently jailed on unrelated charges.
A source tells News 8 federal investigators are conducting ballistics tests on the weapons, which are similar to those used to kill Kaufman County prosecutor Mark Hasse on January 31 and District Attorney Mike McClelland and his wife Cynthia, who were found dead at their home on March 30.
Sources said investigators also seized a Ford Crown Victoria sedan from the storage facility that was allegedly purchased by Williams back in February under a false name.
Sources said they have surveillance video of that vehicle driving into and out of the McLellands' neighborhood on the day they were slain.
Eric Williams — a former justice of the peace in Kaufman — is the main suspect in the murder case, sources told News 8. Sources said they obtained enough probable cause to search his home and other properties after having Williams under surveillance and by getting subpoenas in this case.
Williams was convicted last year for stealing three county-owned computers. Mark Hasse and Mike McLelland prosecuted him.
Williams also had his license to practice law suspended following his conviction.
 ::snipping2::
Williams remains in the Kaufman County Jail on a $3 million bond after being arrested at his home early Saturday morning for allegedly making terroristic threats.
Video at Link

http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/Weapons-vehicle-seized-in-Kaufman-murder-probe-202925341.html
Sources: Williams linked to threatening e-mail
April 14, 2013

On March 31, the day after Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife were found dead in their Forney home, someone sent an anonymous e-mail threatening additional attacks, sources tell News 8.
That e-mail was traced back to former Justice of the Peace Eric Williams, according to those sources.
Williams is the main suspect in the murder case, sources say. He is currently jailed on unrelated charges and being held on $3 million bond.
News 8 has learned that 20 weapons were recovered from a unit at a Seagoville self-storage locker in connection with the unsolved Kaufman County murders. Sources said the locker had been rented on behalf of Eric Williams.
A source tells News 8 federal investigators are conducting ballistics tests on the weapons, which are similar to those used to kill Kaufman County prosecutor Mark Hasse on January 31 and District Attorney Mike McClelland and his wife Cynthia, who were found dead at their home on March 30.
Sources said investigators also seized a Ford Crown Victoria sedan from the storage facility that was allegedly purchased by Williams back in February under a false name.
Sources said they have surveillance video of that vehicle driving into and out of the McLellands' neighborhood on the day they were slain.
Sources said law enforcement officials obtained enough probable cause to search Williams' home and other properties after placing Williams under surveillance and by getting subpoenas in this case.
 ::snipping2::
Williams remains in the Kaufman County Jail on a $3 million bond after being arrested at his home early Saturday morning for allegedly making terroristic threats.
Video at Link

http://www.khou.com/news/local/montgomery-Inmate-accused-of-trying-to-hire-hitman-district-attorney-prosecutor-203012851.html
84-year-old woman charged in plot to ‘murder and maim’ Montgomery County prosecutors
April 15, 2013

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas -- An elderly inmate is accused of trying to hire a hitman to murder Montgomery County Assistant D.A. Robert Freyer and put D.A. Brett Ligon “in the hospital for two to three weeks.”
Officials on Monday identified the inmate as Dorothy Canfield, 84.
The district attorney’s office said Canfield was already behind bars on a second degree felony theft charge. A confidential informant led Texas Rangers to monitor Canfield’s communications.
Based on her alleged desire to hire a “hitman,” Canfield was given the name and phone number of an undercover Harris County District Attorney investigator. The investigator met with Canfield at the Montgomery County jail, officials said. During their conversation, Canfield agreed to pay the undercover officer $5,000 to kill Robert Freyer and $2,500 to put District Attorney Brett Ligon in the hospital for “two to three weeks.”
Early Monday, Canfield was interviewed by Texas Rangers, and she confessed to the plot, the D.A.’s office said.
Officials said prior to her confession, the Rangers showed her photographs from an unrelated crime scene and pretended that Robert Freyer had actually been killed. They said Dorothy Canfield showed no remorse.
The allegations come at a time of heightened security for district attorneys and their staffers across the state. It was late March when Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, were found dead in their North Texas home. Two months earlier, one of his assistant prosecutors was assassinated. Those murders are still under investigation, and no arrests have been made.
“Dorothy Canfield hoped to capitalize on the tragic murder of the Kaufman County District Attorney, his wife and Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse to disrupt the prosecution of her theft charge in the most violent way possible,” stated District Attorney Brett Ligon. “Criminals that plot and threaten to harm those in law enforcement and prosecution need to know that we are watching. The Texas Rangers and other law enforcement agencies are leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to protect public servants from these types of threats. And when you are caught, as Ms. Canfield has been, expect us to prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. We look forward to requesting a Montgomery County jury to give Ms. Canfield the justice she deserves.”

Canfield faces charges of solicitation to commit capital murder and solicitation to commit aggravated assault on a public servant.
 ::snipping2::
Video at Link

http://www.kvue.com/news/Kaufman-investigators-suspect-misuse-of-computer-systems-connected-to-murders-203229971.html
Kaufman investigators suspect misuse of computer systems connected to murders
April 16, 2013

Investigators obtained a warrant last week to search a former Kaufman County justice of the peace's home based on suspicion that he accessed the Internet using county usernames and access codes without permission.
County officials on Tuesday released the warrant that investigators served at Eric Williams' Kaufman home on Friday. It was signed by a state district judge at 1:05 p.m., about two hours before authorities entered the residence at 1600 Overlook Drive.
An inventory detailing what was found inside the homes of Williams and his nearby in-laws remains sealed. However, the warrant says investigators had probable cause that they'd find evidence concerning the murders of District Attorney Mike McLelland, his wife Cynthia and his top prosecutor Mark Hasse.
 ::snipping2::
He has not been charged in the murders, but has emerged as a person of interest. Williams, 46, has vigorously denied playing a role in the slayings. His New Braunfels-based attorney David Sergi resigned over the weekend. Before resigning, the lawyer issued the below statement on behalf of his former client:
 
"Eric simply does not want any more comments to feed a media frenzy which seems to have overtaken him. As mentioned in the press release, he has cooperated with law enforcement and vigorously denies any and all allegations. He wishes simply to get on with his life and hopes that the perpetrators are brought to justice."
 
Investigators are awaiting ballistics testing on weapons found in a Seagoville storage locker that authorities say was rented on his behalf. Currently, Williams is in being held in the Kaufman County Jail on $3 million bond. He's charged with making a terroristic threat; authorities linked Williams to an anonymous email threatening more violence after the McLellands were found killed, according to an arrest warrant made public Monday.
According to the search warrant, investigators suspected they would find evidence related to the murders and to an abuse of official power, a violation that involves a public servant using his or her office to benefit, harm or defraud another person.
Says the warrant, the suspicion is "concerning misuse of Kaufman County usernames and access codes to access internet services."

http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/wife-of-former-kaufman-county-justice-peace-eric-williams-arrested-on-capital-murder-charge-mike-mcklelland-da-203385451.html
Wife of former Kaufman County JP arrested on capital murder charge
April 17, 2013

KAUFMAN - Kim Williams, the 46-year-old wife of former Kaufman County Justice of the Peace Eric Williams, was arrested and charged with capital murder.
Authorities have not revealed whether the charge is related to her husband's arrest. She is currently being held at the Kaufman County Jail on a $10 million bond, sources said.
Over the weekend, Mr. Williams, 46, was arrested on a terroristic threat charge. Sources told News 8 evidence linked Mr. Williams to the murders of prosecutor Mark Hasse, 57, and District Attorney Mike McLelland, 63, and his wife Cynthia, 65.
He was arrested at his home early Saturday morning and is being held at the Kaufman County Jail on a $3 million bond.
Previous to Mrs. Williams' arrest, sources told News 8 authorities were awaiting ballistic test results on weapons found in a storage locker rented in Seagoville on behalf of the former justice of the peace. More than 20 weapons were found inside the locker.
Authorities also said they were able to trace a threatening e-mail sent to county officials the day after the McLellands were fatally shot in their home back to Mr. Williams. The e-mail, sent anonymously, threatened more attacks.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/04/17/kaufman-county-prosecutors-killings-texas-wife-arrested/2090215/
Wife of ousted official arrested in Texas DA killings
April 17, 2013

Kim Williams is married to an ousted county official who had been convicted by the slain prosecutors for theft of public property.

The wife of a former Texas justice of the peace was arrested Wednesday on capital murder charges in the killings of the Kaufman County district attorney, his wife and a second prosecutor, The Dallas Morning News reports.

Kim Williams, 46, is the wife Eric Williams, the ousted justice of the peace who had been convicted by the two slain prosecutors in 2012 on charges of theft of public property. She was being held at the Kaufman County Jail on a $10 million bond, WFAA-TV reported.

 ::snipping2::
Eric Williams was arrested last week on charges of making a terrorist threat and is being held on $3 million bond. The News says he was arrested after a threatening email was allegedly traced to him.

Authorities searched the Williams' home last week. They also searched a storage locker linked to Eric Williams and recovered at least 20 weapons and a white Ford similar to one reportedly shown on surveillance video the night of one of the McLelland killings.

WOW Muffy I didn't see that coming. I thought it was the husband.

http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/wife-of-former-kaufman-county-justice-peace-eric-williams-arrested-on-capital-murder-charge-mike-mcklelland-da-203385451.html

Affidavit: Wife of disgraced judge confessed in Kaufman County killings

(http://media.wfaa.com/images/469*264/0413-kim-williams.jpg)
Credit: WFAA
Kim Lene Williams, the 46-year-old wife of disgraced former Kaufman County Justice of the Peace Eric Williams, was arrested and charged with capital murder in the shooting deaths of prosecutor Mark Hasse and DA Mike McLelland and his wife Cynthia.

by REBECCA LOPEZ and MARJORIE OWENS
Bio | Email | Follow: @rlopezwfaa
WFAA
Posted on April 17, 2013 at 8:28 AM
Updated today at 2:47 PM


KAUFMAN - Kim Lene Williams, the 46-year-old wife of disgraced former Kaufman County Justice of the Peace Eric Williams, was arrested and charged with capital murder in the shooting deaths of prosecutor Mark Hasse and DA Mike McLelland and his wife Cynthia.

An affidavit released by the sheriff's department Wednesday claims Mrs. Williams confessed that her husband was the person who pulled the trigger in all three shooting deaths.

Quoting from the affidavit: "Kim Williams described in detail her role along that of her husband, Eric Williams whom she reported to have shot to death Mark Hasse on January 31, 2013 and Michael and Cynthia McLelland on March 30, 2013."

The document alleges she told police details about the murders that were not made public.

Click here to read the whole affidavit
http://images.bimedia.net/documents/Kim+Williams+Warrant++Affidavit.pdf

She is currently being held at the Kaufman County Jail on a $10 million bond, said Lt. Justin Lewis, a spokesman with the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department, Wednesday afternoon.

"Out of respect for the families of the victims, during this time, we are not answering any questions at this briefing until we're able to brief the family on the events of the past several days," he said during a press conference.

Lewis said the sheriff's department will hold another press conference on the case at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

Over the weekend, Mr. Williams, 46, was arrested on a terroristic threat charge. Sources told News 8 evidence linked Mr. Williams to the murders of prosecutor Mark Hasse, 57, and Mr. McLelland, 63, and Mrs. McLelland, 65.

He was arrested at his home early Saturday morning and is being held at the Kaufman County Jail on a $3 million bond.

Previous to Mrs. Williams' arrest, sources told News 8 authorities were awaiting ballistic test results on weapons found in a storage locker rented in Seagoville on behalf of the former justice of the peace. More than 20 weapons were found inside the locker.

 ::snipping2::

Mr. McLelland and Hasse were involved in the prosecution of Mr. Williams, who was convicted of stealing three computer monitors from the county and lost his license to practice law in March of 2012.

The two vigorously prosecuted Mr. Williams, with Hasse calling him a "liar," a "thief" and a crooked official." During that trial, Hasse revealed that Mr. Williams had threatened the lives of an ex-girlfriend and a Kaufman lawyer, wherein the former justice of the peace threatened to burn his house down and murder his family.

Mr. Williams is appealing his convictions.

Also during the trial, Mrs. Williams testified that she suffers from Sjogren's syndrome, an immune system disorder, and chronic fatigue syndrome and that her husband served as her caregiver, according to a report by The Forney Post.

http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/wife-of-former-kaufman-county-justice-peace-eric-williams-arrested-on-capital-murder-charge-mike-mcklelland-da-203385451.html

http://images.bimedia.net/documents/Kim+Williams+Warrant++Affidavit.pdf

These are the first two pages of the affidavit:

Thank you for posting the docs, texasmom.     ::CowboySmiley::

You're welcome MuffyBee!   ::HelloKitty:: ::bee::

Wow, her mugshot is a lot different...   ::MonkeyEek:: ::MonkeyShocked::

http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/wife-of-former-kaufman-county-justice-peace-eric-williams-arrested-on-capital-murder-charge-mike-mcklelland-da-203385451.html

(From the Gallery at the link above)

(http://media.wfaa.com/images/469*264/0417-kim-williams-mugshot.jpg)

(http://media.wfaa.com/images/600*338/0413-kim-williams.jpg)

This is the William's home...

(http://media.wfaa.com/images/600*338/0417williamshomesearch.jpg)

http://www.khou.com/news/texas-news/kaufman-county-murders-charges-williams-203385431.html
Jailed wife of disgraced judge claims he was triggerman in Kaufman County killings
April 17, 2013

KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas --The wife of a former justice of the peace has been charged with three counts of capital murder for the shooting deaths of the Kaufman County DA, his wife and an assistant prosecutor.
Kim Lene Williams was arrested early Wednesday. Kaufman County sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Justin Lewis said Williams is being charged with all three deaths and being held on $10 million bond.
An affidavit released by the sheriff’s department Wednesday claims Mrs. Williams confessed that her husband was the person who pulled the trigger in all three shooting deaths.
Quoting from the affidavit: "Kim Williams described in detail her role along that of her husband, Eric Williams whom she reported to have shot to death Mark Hasse on January 31, 2013 and Michael and Cynthia McLelland on March 30, 2013."
The document alleges she told police details about the murders that were not made public.
 ::snipping2::
Mr. McLelland indicated to me very early on the day of Mark's murder that he felt like the person that needed to be investigated was Eric Williams," Wood said.
Williams is appealing his convictions.
In the sentencing phase of his trial, Kim Williams testified in her husband’s defense. She said she suffers from several illnesses, including rheumatoid arthritis and chronic fatigue syndrome. She said her husband was her sole caregiver as well as the caregiver for her two ailing parents.
"Eric is a loving man," she testified. "He wouldn’t do anything to hurt anybody. I’m standing by him 100 percent."
Neighbors and coworkers described the couple as reserved. Some said Mr. Williams was a loner.　
"I would speak to him and it was like I was invisible, he never acknowledged I was there," said Diane Childs, a neighbor. "You would never think in real life that would be happening in your neighborhood."　
Kim Williams worked for Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Kaufman from May of 1999 until January of 2003.　
"I think a lot of us thought Mexican drug cartel or the Aryan Brotherhood, something like that," Childs said. "I never dreamed it would be three houses down from us."

Video at Link

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/22016100/ex-kaufman-jp-charged-with-murder-in-da-prosecutor-slayings
Ex-Kaufman JP charged with murder in DA, prosecutor slayings
April 18, 2013

Ex-justice of the peace Eric Williams has been charged with capital murder in the deaths of Mike McLelland, his wife Cynthia and Mark Hasse.

The charges were announced Thursday afternoon at a press conference and cap a stressful three months in normally quiet Kaufman County.

Williams is being held on a $23 million bond.

Williams' wife, Kim, was charged Wednesday with capital murder in the three killings. She confessed to authorities and said her husband Eric was the gunman.

At Thursday's press conference, authorities said Kim Williams was the getaway driver for the Hasse slaying outside the county courthouse. Kim Williams was a passenger for the McLelland murders.

Sources have told FOX4 that a storage facility Williams rented was filled with weapons and had a Crown Victoria that had been seen in the McLelland's neighborhood when they were gunned down.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-kaufman-county-20130419,0,196760.story
Couple charged with murder in killings of Texas officials
Eric Williams and his wife, Kim, are charged in the killings of an assistant district attorney and a district attorney and his spouse in Kaufman County, Texas.
April 28, 2013

The murder charges weren't for the white supremacists, even though they'd threatened to kill the Texas prosecutors threatening to put them away; nor were they for the cartels, even though they'd long ravaged law enforcement down in Mexico.

Instead, officials in Texas believe a trio of slayings near Dallas boiled down to simple revenge: A disgraced former justice of the peace and his wife stand accused of murdering the Texas prosecutors who ended his career.

Eric Lyle Williams, 46, was charged with capital murder Thursday, one day after his wife, Kim Lene Williams, 46, was similarly charged in two attacks that shocked Kaufman County and led to fears of an unprecedented assault on the rule of law in Texas.

Officials believe the couple worked together without outside help in killing Kaufman County Assistant Dist. Atty. Mark Hasse outside the County Courthouse in late January and Dist. Atty. Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, in their home March 30.

Kaufman County Sheriff David Byrnes said Thursday at a news conference that Eric Williams did the shooting and Kim Williams did the driving in Hasse's killing, and that she waited in the car while her husband killed the McLellands at their home.
 ::snipping2::
Before the attacks, officials said, Williams searched the Internet for information on Hasse and McLelland that would have included data on their homes and vehicles; a friend said he also had asked how to destroy the part of an AR-15 rifle, the upper receiver, that is commonly used to make matches in ballistic tests.

Byrnes said the case broke open when officials discovered a storage unit that Williams kept under a friend's name. It contained 41 guns — including pistols and AR-15-style rifles — and a white Ford Crown Victoria. Other weapons, including AR-15 rifles, were found at Williams' home. None of the rifles had upper receivers.

Officials found video from before and after the McLellands' deaths that apparently shows the Williams' Ford Explorer entering and leaving the storage facility for a car swap with the Crown Victoria, which was spotted in the McLellands' neighborhood on the day of the attack.

On Tuesday, during questioning, Kim Williams confessed to her role and that of her husband, officials said, and the capital murder charges followed. Under Texas law, suspected accomplices can be prosecuted for the same charges as a suspected perpetrator.

Eric Williams has been in the Kaufman County jail since Saturday, when officials arrested him on suspicion of making a "terroristic threat" against investigators from his personal computer the day after the McLellands' deaths. "The threat implied unless law enforcement responded to the demands of the writer, another attack would occur," police said in the affidavit establishing probable cause for his arrest.

"Eric Williams has always been on the radar," Byrnes said. "We talked to him immediately after Mark Hasse's death and also the night of the McLelland shooting.... We obviously had arrested Eric before on this other thing, and it's obviously not pleasant."

"[He] used to be a reserve officer for me," Byrnes added. "So it's very distasteful, to say the least."

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57580448-504083/mike-mclelland-murder-update-storage-unit-led-to-arrests-in-da-deaths/
Mike McLelland Murder Update: Storage unit led to arrests in DA deaths
April 19, 2013

 ::snipping2::
Former justice of the peace, Eric Lyle Williams, and his wife, Kim Williams, are charged with capital murder in the fatal shootings of District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, and assistant prosecutor Mark Hasse.

Investigators say the prosecutors had been concerned that Williams might be a threat to them after they successfully prosecuted him for theft last year, even going to the extent of carrying handguns following Williams' conviction. Williams was sentenced to two years' probation, lost his law license and his elected position as justice of the peace - a judge who handles mostly administrative duties.

Hasse was shot by a masked gunman in January as he made his way to his courthouse office. The McLellands were gunned down two months later at their rural home.

Sheriff David Byrnes told reporters Thursday that while Williams "has always been on the radar" - investigators questioned him after Hasse's slaying and again after the McLellands' deaths - authorities did not have the evidence to tie everything together until they found the storage unit. Authorities say a friend of Williams' told them about the weapons.

"The discovery of the storage locker probably was the watershed event that put us on to this," Byrnes said.

Authorities allege Eric Williams, 46, was the gunman in all of the slayings. They say his wife, who is also 46, was the getaway driver when her husband shot Hasse. They contend she was a passenger when her husband drove to the McLellands' home to carry out those killings early on the morning of March 30.

"Basically, this was a collaborative effort between Eric Williams and his wife," Byrnes said.

Eric Williams is being held on $23 million bail, and his wife is being held on $3 million bail. Online jail records do not indicate attorneys representing the couple.

Criminal defense attorneys Toby Shook and Bill Wirskye, both former Dallas County prosecutors, have been appointed as special prosecutors.

According to an arrest warrant, a friend of Williams' contacted authorities last week and told them the former justice of the peace had told him he needed to rent a storage unit to hide some items because of his ongoing legal problems.

Investigators searched the unit in Seagoville on Saturday and found a Crown Victoria matching security video of a car in the McLellands' neighborhood the day they were killed, according to the warrant. Williams used a false name to purchase the Crown Victoria in February, the affidavit said.

They also found guns, including eight .223-caliber weapons, authorities said. Investigators believe a .223-caliber firearm was used in the killings of the McLellands. Ammunition consistent with that used both in Hasse's and the McLellands' slayings was also found in the storage locker, according to the warrant.

Investigators also traced emails to a computer in Williams' home in which the author confessed to all three slayings and threatened more violence against county officials, the warrant says. Williams was arrested Saturday and charged with making a terroristic threat in connection with that email.

Kim Williams was arrested Wednesday. An arrest affidavit contends she confessed to the killings and told investigators her husband was the gunman.

Williams was elected to his judicial post in 2010 after practicing law in the county east of Dallas for a decade. He previously served as a peace officer in five North Texas cities and two counties, including Kaufman, according to records obtained by The Associated Press from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education. As recently as December 2010, he was a reserve officer in the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department.

During his theft trial, McLelland and Hasse portrayed Williams as a dishonest public official with a dangerous streak. The prosecutors presented evidence during closing arguments indicating Williams had made death threats against another local attorney and a former girlfriend.

Williams has appealed the conviction, and on March 29 - a day before the McLellands' bodies were found - a state appeals court in Dallas agreed to hear oral arguments in the case.

Marcus Busch, a U.S. Justice Department attorney who worked with Hasse in the Dallas district attorney's office and later went into private practice with him, said he was stunned by the arrests.

"I just don't understand how somebody in a white-collar case who received probation decides to throw away his own life with the senseless murder of people who were simply doing their jobs," Busch said.

It is just so beyond my comprehension that people kill people like this and obviously thought they would get away with it.  I just don't understand it at all . . . nor do I want to I guess.

http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/2013/04/authorities-believe-they-may-have-recovered-a-car-used-in-the-slaying-of-kaufman-county-prosecutor-mark-hasse.html/
Authorities believe they may have recovered a car used in the slaying of Kaufman County prosecutor Mark Hasse
April 25, 2013

Authorities have recovered what they believe is the getaway car used in the Jan. 31 killing of Kaufman county Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse, according to court records obtained by The Dallas Morning News.

A silver 2001 Mercury Sable had been towed in early March at the behest of a Seagoville storage facility after someone left it abandoned in the parking lot there.

It is the same facility where authorities say former justice of the peace Eric Lyle Williams had stored numerous weapons, ammunition, law enforcement paraphernalia and another car that authorities believed was used in the Easter weekend slayings of Hasse’s boss, District Attorney Mike McLelland, and his wife, Cynthia.

Williams and his wife, Kim Williams, both 46, have been charged with capital murder in the Hasse and McLelland deaths. Both are in the Kaufman County jail. Eric Williams is also charged with making a terroristic threat because authorities say he sent an email promising another attack the day after the McLelland slayings.

Authorities have said that Kim Williams confessed to being the getaway driver in Hasse’s murder and that she accompanied her husband in the McLelland slayings. She has said her husband shot Mike McLelland, 63, his wife, Cynthia, 65, and Hasse, 57.
 ::snipping2::

Authorities believe the plot was hatched after McLelland and Hasse prosecuted Williams in a theft and burglary case that resulted in his removal from his justice of the peace post and the loss of his law license.

Despite pleas from Hasse and McLelland that he receive the maximum two-year prison sentence, a judge gave Williams probation for stealing three county-owned computer monitors. The case left Williams and his wife in dire financial straits and without health insurance, Kim Williams has said.

According to search warrant affidavit obtained by the authorities, the Mercury Sable closely matches the description of the silver car witnesses saw fleeing the scene after a black-clad gunman killed Hasse as he walked to the courthouse. Authorities began looking for that specific vehicle after finding that evidence that Eric Williams used a Kaufman County Lexis-Nexis account on Jan. 27 to conduct a search on the car’s license plate.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.dentonrc.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20130425-bill-to-keep-grand-jurors-names-secret.ece
Bill to keep grand jurors’ names secret
April 25, 2013

The Texas Senate recently approved a bill that would make every facet of a grand jury membership secret, including the names of the grand jurors.
An analysis of Senate Bill 834, introduced by Sen. Craig Estes, R-Wichita Falls, cites similar secrecy for members of federal grand juries and state grand juries in Arizona, Florida, New York and Utah.
In an interview Wednesday, Estes said he was working with the North Texas Crime Commission on the legislation.
“My whole aspect in this is to make sure people who serve in this capacity are safe,” Estes said.
He pointed to the popularity of smartphones and social media, saying those tools could help someone discover more after knowing a grand juror’s name. He said the Kaufman County murders showed the need for the law, although SB 834 was filed Feb. 26, nearly a month before District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, were shot. Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse was shot Jan. 31.
In 1999, Texas shielded the personal information of grand jurors, including address, and telephone, Social Security and driver’s license numbers. But unlike federal law and the laws governing grand juries in most other states, Texas still allows the key-man system of grand jury selection.
The method, used in counties throughout much of the state, uses a judge-appointed commission — not random selection — to determine who sits on grand juries.
The U.S. Supreme Court has long held that the key-man system is constitutional but vulnerable to abuse. Court rulings and academic studies have found the system tends to favor the powerful and disenfranchise racial minorities, the poor, women and the young. Those factors led other states and the federal government to abandon the system in favor of a more random process.
Only Texas and California still permit key-man.
The Texas Bar Association has not taken a position on the bill, according to Kim Davey, the group’s public information director.
But the Texas Press Association opposes the bill, according to Donnis Baggett, the trade group’s executive vice president.
“We stand for open government in every branch,” Baggett said. “The judicial system starts with the grand jury. In a free society, we are not supposed to have secret tribunals. We aren’t supposed to have that kind of justice.”
A defendant should be indicted and tried by a jury of his or her peers, he added.
“How are you to know that if the names are kept secret?” Baggett said.
After the bill was heard in committee, senators added another subsection that would allow the defendant’s attorney to request demographic information — names, races, ethnicities and genders of the grand jurors — if the attorney intended to challenge the grand jury’s array.
Estes said the committee worked with criminal defense attorneys to carve out that exception, but he acknowledged it limited the disclosure to the defense team, which would not be allowed to reveal that information to any other party.
Baggett said that compromise does nothing for the civic-minded public.
“They have a need for that information as well,” Baggett said.
More...

http://www.kaufmanherald.com/news/article_65a405a8-b7fc-11e2-8b23-001a4bcf887a.html
Legal counsel appointed for Eric, Kim Williams
May 8, 2013

Eric and Kim Williams have been appointed legal counsel to represent them against capital murder charges.
Capital murder has only two sentences, if either or both are found guilty — either life in prison without possibility of parole … or death.
Dallas attorney Paul Johnson has been appointed to represent Kim Williams.
The Regional Public Defender for Capital Cases group will represent Eric Williams.
The couple is charged with the murders of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife Cynthia and of assistant district attorney Mark Hasse.
Hasse was shot killed on the morning of Jan. 31 as he walked from a county employee parking lot to the county courthouse where he worked for McLelland as a felony prosecutor.
The McLellands were shot and killed in their home on March 30.
 ::snipping3::
On April 15, Kim Williams was arrested on capital murder charges, later confessing to investigators that she drove the getaway car during the Hasse murder and that she was a passenger in the vehicle during the McLelland murders.
She said Eric Williams was the gunman at both scenes.
Kim Williams remains in the Kaufman County Law Enforcement Center in lieu of $10 million bond, while her husband is also held there in lieu of $23 million bond.

http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/crime/couple-indicted-in-slaying-of-texas-prosecutors/nYXkh/
Couple indicted in slaying of Texas prosecutors
June 27, 2013

KAUFMAN, Texas — A former justice of the peace and his wife were indicted on capital murder charges Thursday in the deaths of two North Texas prosecutors who were fatally shot earlier this year, one outside the local courthouse and the other inside his home with his wife.
Eric and Kim Williams were each indicted by a Kaufman County grand jury for the deaths of Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse, District Attorney Mike McLelland and McLelland's wife, Cynthia.
The couple was arrested in April for what prosecutors allege was a meticulous plot to avenge Eric Williams' conviction for stealing three county computer monitors in 2012.
The Williamses, who are both 46, have been in the county jail southeast of Dallas since their arrests. Eric Williams is being held on a $23 million bond, while his wife's bond is $10 million. Capital murder charges can bring the death penalty in Texas.
Hasse was fatally shot as he walked to work in January, while the McLellands were gunned down in their home two months later.
More...

http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/kaufman-county-killings-eric-kim-williams-mclelland-hasse-hearing-217094421.html
Eric Williams faces death penalty in Kaufman County murder case
July 26, 2013

 ::snipping3::
Eric Williams and his wife Kim were indicted late last month on a pair of capital murder charges in the brazen killings of District Attorney Mike McLelland, his wife Cynthia and Assistant DA Mark Hasse. The state announced it would pursue the death penalty against Mr. Williams in a Friday morning hearing that lasted about five minutes in Kaufman County's south campus courtroom.
Mrs. Williams also appeared in court and acknowledged the charges against her. The state has not determined whether it will seek the death penalty in her case. That decision will come next week.
Dallas County Judge Michael Snipes, who was appointed to hear the case, tentatively set jury selection in Mr. Williams' trial for spring of 2014. The trial itself is scheduled to begin in October 2014. After the arrests, Kaufman County Sheriff David Byrnes called capital punishment a "viable option" should the district attorney decide to pursue it.
County Judge Bruce Wood told News 8's David Schechter he wants the trial held in Kaufman. The defense will seek a change of venue, arguing that the Williamses will not be able to have a fair trial if it's held in the county.
The Williamses, both 46, have been in custody at the Kaufman County jail since their arrests in April. Eric Williams is jailed on $23 million bond while Kim is held on $10 million bond.
Investigators say the couple planned the assassination style murders following the aggressive conviction of Eric Williams in 2012 for stealing county computer equipment from the IT department. After he was found guilty, Williams lost his law license and his job at the county. He testified it would be difficult to care for his wife without health benefits afforded by his job.
On Jan. 31, Hasse was gunned down on his way into the Kaufman County Courthouse spurring a monthslong search for those responsible. Nearly two months to the day later, the McLellands were found shot dead inside their Forney home.
According to affidavits unsealed after Mr. Williams was arrested, McLelland and Hasse both feared for their safety and began carrying guns after convicting Williams. Following Hasse’s murder, Judge Wood said that the district attorney expressed concern that Williams was behind the fatal shooting.
Investigators also found weapons that fire similar caliber bullets to what was used in each murder at a storage locker Mr. Williams was seen using and at the couple's household. Williams is also accused of using the county’s Lexis/Nexis account to research driver’s license records and address information belonging to those he is accused of killing. 
The two were indicted on capital murder charges on June 27.

Good   ::justice2nj2::   ::MonkeyHang::

 ::rhino::

http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/judge-approves-change-of-venue-eric-williams-murder-district-attorney-kaufman-241820681.html
Change of venue for trial of suspect in murders of Kaufman County DA, 2 others
January 24, 2014

DALLAS— A judge ordered a change of venue for the trial of the suspect in the murders of a Kaufman County district attorney, his wife and the assistant district attorney.
 ::snipping3::
In an agreement between prosecutors and the defense team Friday, Eric Williams' trial was moved from Kaufman County to Rockwall County. It will take place on Oct. 20, 2014.
In June 2013, Williams, 46, and his wife Kim, 47, were indicted on capital murder charges in the deaths of District Attorney Mike McLelland, his wife Cynthia and Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse. The state announced in July they will seek the death penalty in the Williams case.
Prosecutors haven't revealed whether they will seek the death penalty in the capital murder case against Williams' wife.
According to investigators, Williams and his wife planned the murders after he was terminated from his job as the justice of the peace following a theft conviction. Williams was found guilty of stealing computer equipment from the county's IT department. After the conviction, he also lost his law license.
Hasse was gunned down in the parking lot of the Kaufman County Courthouse on Jan. 31, 2013. McLelland vowed to find the person or persons responsible in the shooting, but he and his wife were found shot dead about two months later inside their home.
 ::snipping3::
In July 2013, County Judge Bruce Wood said he wanted the trial held in Kaufman County. However, Williams' defense team argued the former justice of the peace would be unable to receive a fair trial in the county.
In June 2013, on the same day the couple was indicted, Williams' wife filed for divorce, which is pending.

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/24787685/judge-denies-request-to-delay-trial-for-kaufman-county-killings
Judge denies request to delay trial for Kaufman County killings
February 21, 2014

ROCKWALL, Texas -
 ::snipping3::

Eric Williams is charged with capital murder for the March 2013 deaths of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, in their home. Assistant DA Mark Hasse was killed outside the Kaufman County courthouse in January 2013.

It was the first hearing for Williams since his attorneys asked for a change of venue from Kaufman to Rockwall County.

The defense attorneys asked for a delay in the case, but the judge denied that request.

Williams' wife, Kim, is also charged with capital murder.

Related to the case, sources told the Associated Press that investigators took boats out on Lake Tawakoni on Wednesday to search for gun parts.

Divers reportedly spent hours searching the lake for evidence linked to the murders, but did not find anything.

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/25098480/jury-selection-begins-for-kaufman-county-slayings
Jury selection begins for Kaufman County slayings
March 28, 2014

KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas -
Jury selection begins in the murder trial of a man charged with killing the Kaufman County district attorney, his wife and another prosecutor.

Former Justice of the Peace Eric Williams is charged with capital murder for the shooting deaths of Kaufman County DA Mike McLelland, his wife Cynthia and Assistant DA Mark Hasse.

Hasse was killed outside the Kaufman County Courthouse in January of last year. A massive search started and fears ran rampant in the community.

The McLellands were killed in their home two months later, sparking more fears and outrage.

Police believe Williams wanted revenged after a theft case against him cost him his office and law license.

Due to the amount of attention the case got and the sensitivity in Kaufman County, the trial has already been moved to Rockwall County.
 
::snipping3::

Final jury selection will likely take place in August. The trial is set for Oct. 20.

Williams' now estranged wife Kim is also charged with capital murder in the cases. She will be tried separately.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/warrant-gun-used-in-slaying-of-texas-prosecutor-found/
Warrant: Gun used in slaying of Texas prosecutor found
April 2, 2014

DALLAS - A dive team has recovered a weapon from a North Texas lake that authorities say was used in the slaying last year of a Kaufman County prosecutor, according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by CBS affiliate KHOU.

Two guns, one of which is said to be the weapon used to kill Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse last year, were recovered March 5 from Lake Tawakoni by the Texas Department of Public Safety, according to the station. A black mask was also reportedly recovered. The lake is located about 40 miles northeast of Kaufman.

Former county Justice of the Peace Eric Williams and his wife, Kim, face capital murder charges in the deaths of Hasse, District Attorney Mike McLelland and McLelland's wife, Cynthia.

The second gun found in the lake has been directly linked through purchase records to Kim Williams, the records obtained by the station state.

Hasse, 57, was gunned down Jan. 31, 2013 by a masked man as he walked to the downtown Kaufman courthouse. District Attorney Mike McLelland, 63, and his wife Cynthia, 65, were killed in their Forney home over the Easter weekend.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Eric Williams. They have not said whether they will seek the same for Kim Williams.
 ::snipping3::
Jury selection in Eric Williams' trial is scheduled to begin in May. The trial is expected to begin in October.

http://inforney.com/crime/item/1700-dps-dive-team-recovers-two-handguns-linked-to-mark-hasse-murder-kim-williams
DPS dive team recovers two handguns linked to Mark Hasse murder and Kim Williams
April 2, 2014

FORNEY, Texas – A Texas Department of Public Safety dive team has recovered two handguns from a underwater search of Lake Tawakoni along the Highway 276 “two mile bridge” in Hunt County.
According to a search warrant affidavit signed by Dallas County District Judge Mike Snipes, who is the visiting judge presiding over the Eric Williams murder trial in Rockwall County, the pistols were found by the dive team on or about March 5, 2014.

The affidavit does not link Eric Williams to either of the weapons found. However, the search warrant was signed on April 1, 2014, to allow investigators to search a black tote bag with a master lock which was recovered from an office building in Kaufman, Texas, on March 26, 2014, which was formerly rented by Eric Williams.

The locked black tote bag was covered with "no smoking" and "bullet hole" stickers. A second unlocked black tote was also recovered in Kaufman. That tote contained picture frames and packages of new CD-R's.

One of the pistols recovered from the lake has been linked to Kim Williams. According to the affidavit, an investigation by the ATF revealed it was purchased by Kim Williams “many years ago.”

The other pistol recovered from the lake has been identified as a Ruger .357 capable of firing .38 special rounds. Forensic testing concluded the Ruger was used to kill Mark Hasse on Thursday, January 31, 2013.

According to the affidavit, to date, the .223 caliber weapon used to kill the McLellands in their Forney, Texas, area home has not been located by investigators. Investigators believe the locked tote recovered in Kaufman, Texas, is large enough to conceal potential evidence including a .223 caliber weapon and/or an AR-15 style .223 caliber upper.

The locked tote is currently in the possession of the Texas Rangers at their Texas Department of Public Safety Lab in Garland, Texas, the contents of which remain unknown at this time.

 ::snipping3::
Eric Williams' trial was moved to Rockwall County were jury selection began on March 28, 2014. The trial is scheduled to begin October 20, 2014.

http://www.kansascity.com/2014/04/02/4931629/official-weapon-found-linked-to.html
Official: Weapon found linked to prosecutor death
April 2, 2014

DALLAS — A dive team has recovered a weapon from a North Texas lake that authorities say was used in the fatal shooting of a prosecutor last year, authorities said Wednesday.

The gun was linked to the January 2013 slaying of Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse outside a courthouse in Kaufman County, southeast of Dallas. A law enforcement official familiar with the investigation said a dive team found the weapon in Lake Tawakoni, 50 miles east of Dallas, earlier this year.

Two guns were found in the lake, concealed inside a black mask, the official said.

 ::snipping3::
Two months after Hasse's killing, District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, were found shot dead in their home.

Former county Justice of the Peace Eric Williams and his wife, Kim, face capital murder charges in the deaths of Hasse, the district attorney and his wife. The two are scheduled for trial later this year.

Authorities believe Eric Williams bore a grudge against McLelland and Hasse for successfully prosecuting him for stealing three county-owned computer monitors. That conviction would cost Williams his job as a justice of the peace and his law license.

While investigators have found several weapons in a storage locker used by Eric Williams, those weapons had not been linked by testing to the crime before the dive team's search.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.kvue.com/news/state/Gun-linked-to-death-of-Kaufman-County-assistant-DA-found-in-lake-253608171.html
Gun linked to death of Kaufman County assistant DA found in lake
April 2, 2014

KAUFMAN — State police divers have recovered a weapon from Lake Tawakoni that forensic testing shows was used to assassinate Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse last year  – a find expected be a linchpin in the prosecution of former Kaufman County Justice of the Peace Eric Williams.
 
The gun, as well as a second gun and black mask, were recovered March 5 as divers with the Texas Department of Public Safety searched along the Highway 276 “two mile bridge” area in Hunt County, according to an search warrant affidavit obtained by News 8. The lake is located about 40 miles northeast of Kaufman.
 
That second gun has been directly linked through purchase records to Williams’ wife, Kim, the records state.
 
DPS divers periodically searched around the lake in grids for months as investigators continued to build their case against Williams.
 
Eric and Kim Williams have been accused in the slaying of Hasse, 57 on Jan. 31, 2013. He was gunned down by a masked man as he walked to the downtown Kaufman courthouse. District Attorney Mike McLelland, 63, and his wife Cynthia, 65, were slain in their Forney home over the Easter weekend.
 
 ::snipping3::
 
According to the warrant authored by Kaufman County Sheriff’s Sgt. Mark Woodall, the Hasse murder weapon is a Ruger .357 capable of firing .38-caliber special rounds, the warrant states. Hasse was killed by .38-caliber rounds.
 
“Affiant has learned that recent forensic testing of this Ruger pistol has revealed that this pistol was the same pistol from which that bullets that killed Mark Hasse were fired,” the affidavit states.
 
Investigators have since determined with the help of ATF that the second gun was purchased by Kim Williams many years ago, the warrant states.
 
Woodall obtained the search warrant so that authorities could search a padlocked black tote bag to determine if there was any evidence connected to the killings. Investigators recovered the bag on March 26 from an office where Eric Williams had previously rented space, the warrant states.  The bag is covered with bullet hole stickers and no smoking stickers.
 
Last year, during a search of a Seagoville storage unit, authorities found dozen of weapons, ammunition and a Crown Victor sedan believed to have been used in the McLelland slayings. Police found a title to the Crown Victoria during a search last year of Williams’ home, according to court documents.
 
Williams had asked a friend to secretly rent the storage unit, authorities say.
 
Inside the storage unit, authorities found a live .223 round that matched spent shell cases found at the McLelland crime scene.  Woodall also wrote in the warrant that investigators have not yet recovered the weapon used to kill the McLellands.
 
Woodall’s warrant also revealed for the first time that authorities found “two jars believed to be filled with homemade napalm” inside the unit. Court documents had previously revealed that authorities found a homemade incendiary device “capable of, and believed intended for, evidence destruction.”
 
Authorities believe the couple began plotting the murders after McLelland and Hasse prosecuted Williams in a theft and burglary case that resulted in his removal as a justice of the peace in 2012. Williams also was stripped of his law license. A judge sentenced him to probation in that case.
Attorneys for Williams have sought to delay court proceedings in the case, citing the massive amount of evidence collected in the case. The case has been moved to Rockwall County.
 
Dallas County District Judge Mike Snipes is presiding over the case after a Kaufman County judge recused himself.
 
Last Friday, the long process of selecting a jury in the capital murder case began when thousands of people were summoned to the Rockwall County courthouse to fill out questionnaires. Formal jury selection is slated to begin in May. The judge has said he wants to have a jury picked by August.
 
The trial has been scheduled to start in October.

Eric Williams is currently being held in the Kaufman County jail on $23 million bail.

(BBM) Dorothy Canfield tried to set it up for her planned "hit" to be associated with that of Mike McLelland and his wife in an attempt to throw off  investigators.  ::MonkeyNoNo::
The same couple responsible for the McLelland murders also murdered Mark Hasse.

http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/08/31/6081819/elderly-woman-suspect-nicknamed.html
Elderly woman suspect nicknamed ‘No Soul’
August 31, 2014

CONROE — The 85-year-old Willis woman wearing a pink-striped jail suit sat emotionless in her wheelchair last week in a Montgomery County courtroom, as prosecutors painted a portrait of her that was far from the grandmotherly figure she resembled.

Dorothy Clark Canfield had already pleaded guilty to trying to hire a hitman to maim the district attorney there and kill his chief prosecutor. She had also pleaded guilty to stealing $100,000 from illegal immigrants, which authorities say she squandered on everything from skydiving to spa beauty treatments. As a result, Canfield was facing up to life in prison for the criminal solicitations of capital murder and aggravated assault and up to 20 years for the immigrant theft scam.

Before the prosecution rested its case in the punishment phase Thursday, Lisa Tanner, an assistant Texas attorney general handling the case, reminded the court how Canfield, whom jail inmates said had been nicknamed “No Soul,” had been recorded telling an undercover officer posing as a hitman how she was eagerly “looking forward” to seeing his job completed within a day after they talked.

Canfield had first only wanted the assistant prosecutor handling her immigrant scam case “knocked off” but then added Montgomery County’s DA, Brett Ligon, to the “contract” — hoping investigators might link it to the murders in 2013 of another Texas district attorney, his wife and chief prosecutor in Kaufman County. That case was initially thought to possibly involve the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang, which had been vigilantly prosecuted by a task force that included Montgomery and Kaufman counties.

“It was a scary time,” Ligon said, recalling how he had required a security detail for a while until a disgruntled Kaufman justice of the peace who had been convicted of theft was found to be the culprit.
 ::snipping3::
Ligon also took the stand to testify that any effort to attack an elected public servant threatens the very fabric of the order of law and should not be tolerated.

The plot to hire a hitman was spawned in the Montgomery County Jail after Canfield heard TV reports about the killings of the two Kaufman County prosecutors that made her smile, two cellmates testified.

One of them, Kristen Kimmel, said that afterward Canfield pestered her to help find someone to “knock off” her own prosecutor. Kimmel testified tearfully that she had done some bad things in her life, but had never participated in murder.

In an audio recording, she tries to dissuade Canfield. But Canfield said she was old and wanted out of jail. “I’ve been here before. If I have to come back, it won’t be much difference,” she said.

Through Kimmel, she contacted the officer she thought was a hitman and they spoke by phone and then in person at the jail, where he went as a visitor.

She was also recorded admitting to scamming immigrants for thousands of dollars, pretending to help them get citizenship papers but providing them nothing. “I love pretty clothes. I love fancy living, and that takes money to do,” she said on the tape.

Another cellmate, Glenna Jones, testified that Canfield also said she wanted to see a daughter-in-law killed because she had influenced her son against helping her.

http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/crime/2014/09/02/prosecutors-man-eric-williams-mclelland-kaufman-district-slayings-killings/14962471/
Prosecutors: Man accused of Kaufman killings had more targets
September 2, 2014


KAUFMAN — Eric Williams, the disbarred justice of the peace accused in last year's Kaufman County prosecutor slayings, had other targets that he wanted to assassinate, prosecutors revealed for the first time Tuesday.

Among those targets were the current Kaufman County district attorney and his one-time boss.

Documents filed Tuesday morning don't reveal why Williams would have wanted to kill District Attorney Erleigh Norville Wiley, who served as a county court at law judge prior to being sworn in after District Attorney Mike McLelland's death.

It also doesn't explain why he would have wanted to kill former District Judge Glen Ashworth, who Williams had worked with as a court coordinator prior to getting his law degree. The records indicate he planned to kill Ashworth as far back as 2005.

Eric and Kim Williams have been accused in the slaying of Hasse on Jan. 31, 2013. At age 57, Hasse was gunned down by a masked man as he walked to the downtown Kaufman courthouse.

Mike McLelland, 63, and his wife Cynthia, 65, were slain in their Forney home over the Easter weekend. McLelland and Hasse had prosecuted Williams in a burglary and theft case the year before.

Special prosecutors, Bill Wirskye and Toby Shook, are seeking the death penalty for Mr. Williams.

The documents confirm what has long been suspected, which is that Mrs. Williams will testify for the prosecution when her estranged husband goes on trial Dec. 1. She's listed on the prosecution's witness list.

The paperwork, filed by Wirskye, contain other startling revelations:

That Mr. Williams called in a false Crime Stoppers tip nearly a month after the Hasse murder in an apparent effort to put investigators on the wrong track.
That Mr. Williams impersonated a police officer during the McLelland slayings.
That Mr. Williams threw a phone, a mask and two revolvers into Lake Tawakoni on the day of the McLelland murders. Forensic testing confirmed one of the revolvers was used to kill Hasse. The mask was worn by Mr. Williams during the Hasse murder.
That Mr. Williams sent a message to Crime Stoppers on the day of the McLelland murders. The message claimed "credit for both murders" and "contained facts about the Hasse murder only the true murderer would know," according to the court records.
Investigators had previously revealed that threats of future attacks had been made in that message. The writer of that message had threatened future violence if the writer's demands weren't met. Authorities haven't detailed those demands.

In the court filings, Wirskye laid out the case for why prosecutors believe the murders of Hasse and McLelland are inextricably linked.

There was only one common "denominator" between Hasse and McLelland – and that was Mr. Williams, he wrote.

"Mark Hasse and Mike McLelland only tried one case together – the hotly contested Eric Williams burglary case which was tried approximately nine months before the Hasse murder," Wirskye wrote.

Wirskye listed other connections, including:

That Mr. Williams rented a storage unit about a month before the Hasse murder, "which the evidence shows served as a base of operations for both murders." Access logs show the storage unit was accessed shortly before and shortly after both Hasse and McLelland murders.
That Mr. Williams bought a "getaway car" shortly before each murder. Officials have since recovered both vehicles.
That Mr. Williams used a Lexis-Nexis account, an information database, to search for information on McLelland and Hasse prior to the Hasse slaying.
The document reveals that testing shows that a set of "shooters earplugs" found in the Hasse getaway vehicle had Mr. Williams' DNA on them.

A gunshot residue test taken on the day of the McLelland murders found "results consistent with handling firearms," the records state.

The investigation hasn't found any reason why Mrs. McLelland was killed other than she was Mr. McLelland's wife, according to the filings.

Authorities contend the couple began plotting the murders after McLelland and Hasse successfully prosecuted Williams, which resulted in his removal as a justice of the peace in 2012. Williams also was stripped of his law license. A judge sentenced him to probation in that case.

With the help of Mrs. Williams, state police divers recovered the mask, revolvers and cellphone from Lake Tawakoni on March 5. The lake is located about 40 miles northeast of Kaufman.

Last year, during a search of a Seagoville storage unit, authorities found dozen of weapons, homemade napalm, a makeshift incendiary device, ammunition and a Crown Victoria sedan believed to have been used in the McLelland slayings. Police found a title to the Crown Victoria during a search last year of Williams' home, according to previously filed court documents.

Inside the storage unit, authorities found a live .223 round that matched spent shell cases found at the McLelland crime scene. Investigators haven't yet recovered the weapon use to kill the McLellands.

Citing the massive amount of evidence collected in the case, attorneys for Williams have sought to delay court proceedings in the case. The case has been moved to Rockwall County.
 ::snipping3

http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/crime/2014/09/11/fbi-crime-home-jp-eric-williams-kaufman-murders/15435363/
FBI searching for evidence at Eric Williams' home
September 11, 2014

KAUFMAN -- An FBI crime scene team is currently searching the home and yard of Eric Williams, the disbarred justice of the peace accused in last year's Kaufman County prosecutor murders.

The search comes one day before a court hearing in which Williams' attorneys will ask a judge to further delay his December trial.

Eric and Kim Williams have been accused in the slaying of Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse on Jan. 31, 2013. Hasse, 57, was gunned down by a masked man as he walked to the downtown Kaufman courthouse.

District Attorney Mike McLelland, 63, and his wife Cynthia, 65, were slain in their Forney home over Easter weekend. McLelland and Hasse had prosecuted Williams in a burglary and theft case the year before.

Among the items the FBI team may be looking for is the assault weapon used in the McLelland killings. With the help of Kim Williams, authorities have already recovered the gun used in the Hasse's murder earlier his year from Lake Tawakoni.

An FBI spokeswoman said the Dallas-based evidence response team is assisting the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department.

"We can confirm law enforcement activity at this address," Kaufman County Sheriff's Capt. Fred Klingelberger said.
The Williams' home, located in a quiet subdivision, was previously searched by police after the murders.

Special prosecutors, Bill Wirskye and Toby Shook, are seeking the death penalty for Eric Williams.

Last week in court filings, prosecutors disclosed for the first time that Eric Williams had other assassination targets including current District Attorney Erleigh Norville Wiley, and his one-time boss, retired state District Judge Glen Ashworth.

When Eric Williams goes on trial, he is being tried on the indictment for the McLellands.

Prosecutors contend the murders of Hasse and Mike McLelland are inextricably linked and are seeking to introduce evidence and details related to the Hasse case during the trial.

Authorities contend the couple began plotting the murders after McLelland and Hasse successfully prosecuted Williams, which resulted in his removal as a justice of the peace in 2012. Williams also was stripped of his law license. A judge sentenced him to probation in that case.

 ::snipping3::

Jury selection begins later this month.

Eric Williams is currently being held in the Rockwall County Jail.

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/26506809/fbi-searching-outside-kaufman-county-murder-suspects-home
FBI search outside Kaufman County murder suspect’s home
September 11, 2014

(http://i.imgur.com/W7leHVu.jpg) (http://imgur.com/W7leHVu)

KAUFMAN, Texas - FBI investigators searched the home of murder suspect Eric Williams in Kaufman Thursday morning.

Sources said they were looking for evidence – specifically an upper from an AR-15. Video from SKY 4 showed them with shovels digging in a wooded area near a fence.
 ::snipping3::
The search only lasted for a few hours. The investigators did not find what they were looking for.

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/26516020/kaufman-county-slayings-suspect-to-ask-for-trial-delay
Kaufman County slayings suspect to ask for trial delay
September 12, 2014

(http://i.imgur.com/n3xHs4r.jpg) (http://imgur.com/n3xHs4r)
(The victims, from left to right:  District Attorney Mike McLelland, his wife Cynthia and Asst. District Attorney Mark Hasse)

(http://i.imgur.com/nzDkiWA.jpg) (http://imgur.com/nzDkiWA)
(Eric and Kim Williams)

KAUFMAN, Texas - Lawyers for the man accused of killing prosecutors in Kaufman County may ask for another delay in his trial.

Eric Williams is expected to make the request in court Friday morning.

His trial has already been moved from Kaufman to Rockwall County and was set for December.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/crime/2014/09/12/kaufman-prosecutor-kilings/15535665/
Judge denies request to delay trial in Kaufman County prosecutor killings case
September 12, 2014

ROCKWALL — It was a subdued, much thinner Eric Williams that appeared in a Rockwall County courtroom room Friday.

The former justice of the peace stands accused of killing Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife Cynthia and prosecutor Mark Hasse last year.

"A prosecutor getting murdered is a very unique event in this country," special prosecutor Bill Wirskye, said in court. "When two get murdered in the same office in a two-month period of time, it's unprecedented."

Williams is being tried on the capital murder indictment for Cynthia McLelland. His attorneys were in court seeking a delay of his December trial.

"The amount of evidence that we have received in this case is enormous," said defense attorney Matthew Seymour. "We have a lot work yet to be done on this case for us to adequately prepare and we simply need more time."

State District Judge Michael Snipes, who is presiding over the case, denied the request, saying the defense has had ample time to prepare. He trial would begin as scheduled Dec. 1.
Hasse, 57, was gunned down by a masked man in late January 2013 as he walked to the downtown Kaufman courthouse. The McLellands were slain in their Forney home over Easter weekend.

In court, it was a mini-preview of the much-anticipated trial. Prosecutors contend the murders are inextricably linked. Mike McLelland and Hasse tried one case together and that was the successful prosecution of Williams several months before they were killed.

Prosecutors have not yet asked to introduce evidence from the Hasse case but it is pretty clear that they likely will do so.

"We have Eric Williams sending a message to Crime Stoppers claiming credit for both murders -- the Hasse murder and the McLelland murders," Wirksye said. "That message contained facts that only the Hasse murderer would know and in that sense it corroborates the confession in the McLelland case. At some point, these cases are so intermixed and intertwined that it would almost be confusing for the jury not to hear it."

The defense adamantly disagreed, saying the Hasse case isn't relevant and must be excluded.

"They're talking about an event that was in another city, 60 days prior with a different modality, different instruments, different settings," Seymour said. "We would have basically a trial within a trial."

Even though prosecutors have not yet asked to introduce evidence from the Hasse killing at trial, Snipes indicated that he would allow it to be introduced.

"For purposes of the defense you should plan as if that will be admitted into the case," Snipes said, noting the allegation is that the killings were part of "an overarching plan of the defendant to seek revenge."

There was also a testy exchange about Kim Williams, the defendant's estranged wife.

She helped prosecutors find the Hasse murder weapon, which was recovered from the depths of Lake Tawakoni. Now, she's on the prosecution's witness list. The defense says it reeks of a clandestine plea deal.

"There has been zero action on that case," Seymour said. "There is something afoot with Ms. Williams' case. it's not proceeding like this case is and we think we know why."

Prosecutors were adamant that wasn't the situation.

"There is no deal with Kim Williams," Wirskye said. "We will deal with Mrs. Williams at the appropriate time and at the appropriate way. There simply is no plea bargain."
 ::snipping3::

I find it refreshing and encouraging Judge Snipes has denied the requested trial delay.  After reading about Jodi Arias's latest legal shenanigans, it gives me hope the trials for the murders of Mike and Cynthia McLelland and Mark Hasse won't be a spectacle.  JMHO

gives me hope too Muffy  ::bee::

 ::justice2nj2::

http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/crime/2014/09/22/jury-selection-begins-eric-williams-kaufman-county/16038687/
Jury selection begins in Kaufman murder case
September 22, 2014

The long road to picking a jury in the capital murder trial of former Justice of the Peace Eric Williams in the high-profile Kaufman County prosecutor killings started on Monday morning.

The task at hand is finding 12 people — plus a couple of alternates — who haven't made up their mind about the guilt or innocence of Williams.

He is accused in the revenge-style plot to kill the two men who had prosecuted him.

"Most capital murder cases have received publicity but not to this extent," said former State District Judge John Creuzot, who has presided over and prosecuted capital murder cases. "It's going to be difficult to find anybody who hasn't heard about this case and doesn't know anything," he said. "I think a lot of people are going to have an opinion about the guilt or innocence of this man because it's been so highly publicized."

Williams and his estranged wife Kim have been accused of killing Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse on January 31, 2013. Hasse, 57, was gunned down by a masked man as he walked to the courthouse in downtown Kaufman.

District Attorney Mike McLelland, 63, and his 65-year-old wife Cynthia were slain in their Forney home over Easter weekend of that same year.

At this point, prosecutors have decided to try Eric Williams on an indictment for killing Cynthia McLelland. The trial is scheduled to start December 1 at the Rockwall County Courthouse, where the case was moved due to the enormous publicity surrounding the case in Kaufman County.

In this case, potential jurors are being questioned individually for more than an hour at a time. The plan is to interview four or five potential jurors per day. That's why jury selection could last as long as two months.
 ::snipping3::

Because prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, jury candidates are also being questioned on their willingness to sentence someone to the death penalty.

"That disqualifies a lot of people because they can't or won't go that far," Creuzot explained.

The other issue confronting defense and prosecutors boils down to schedules. This trial is slated to begin on December 1, right in the middle of the holiday season.

"You build in a host of problems right there," Creuzot said. "This can be very difficult for the person who sits on [the jury]."

Those selected also face the very real likelihood that they'll be sequestered for some period of time during the trial.

Dallas County District Judge Mike Snipes is presiding over the trial. He is a veteran judge and West Point-educated lawyer who is scheduled to retire soon.
 ::snipping3::

Defense attorneys also on Monday renewed their motion to delay the trial. Snipes denied the motion.

These murders weren't crimes of passion, they were premeditated.  Eric Williams went to great lengths of planning in advance and ambushed the victims, two in their own home and the other leaving his office.  JMHO

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/27386559/judge-wont-throw-out-evidence-in-kaufman-county-murder-trial
Judge won’t throw out evidence in Kaufman County murder trial
November 14, 2014

ROCKWALL, Texas -
A former justice of the peace was in court Friday for a hearing before his murder trial.

Eric Williams is accused of murdering the Kaufman County district attorney, the DA's wife and the county's lead prosecutor.

His trial was moved to Rockwall County and is expected to begin next month. But first his defense attorney wanted to ask the judge to throw out some of the evidence.

Friday's hearing focused on the guns recovered from a lake and storage unit that Williams allegedly rented and the Texas Department of Public Safety ballistics expert who analyzed them.

The defense argued the expert was not credible and the evidence should be excluded from the trail, but the judge disagreed.

The trial is scheduled to begin on Dec. 1.

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/27443733/suspects-mother-to-give-taped-deposition-in-kaufman-co-murder-trial
Suspect's mother to give taped deposition in Kaufman Co. murder trial
November 20, 2014

Eric Williams, the former Kaufman County Justice of the Peace accused in the deaths of the Kaufman County district attorney, the D.A'.s wife, Cynthia McLelland, and the lead assistant D.A., was in court for the last time Thursday before the trial for Cynthia's death begins Dec. 1.

It was revealed that Williams' mother, Jessie Ruth Williams, will give a videotaped deposition Saturday. She is too ill to attend the trial.

Eric Williams' estranged wife, Kim, is also charged with capital murder. She will be tried separately.

Video

http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/local/2014/11/24/shannon-hebert-former-kaufman-county-prosecutor-speaks-about-da-murders/70071344/
Former Kaufman Co. prosecutor recounts terror of murders
Tanya Eiserer, WFAA
November 25, 2014

(http://i.imgur.com/sEBLath.jpg) (http://imgur.com/sEBLath)
Eric Williams(Photo: WFAA)

(http://i.imgur.com/aNhYjyJ.jpg) (http://imgur.com/aNhYjyJ)
Shannon Hebert(Photo: WFAA)

(http://i.imgur.com/1vPGNW5.jpg) (http://imgur.com/1vPGNW5)
Mike and Cynthia McLelland(Photo: Courtesy)

(http://i.imgur.com/Mk5oFTU.jpg) (http://imgur.com/Mk5oFTU)
Mark Hasse(Photo: Courtesy)

District Attorney Mike McLelland was her boss. His wife, Cynthia, was her friend. His deputy, Mark Hasse, was her colleague.

Shannon Hebert lost all of them in the spasm of killings that terrorized Kaufman County last year.

"We'll never forget what happened, and we'll never forget them," said Hebert, a former Kaufman County prosecutor.

She hasn't spoken publicly until now, because doing so scares her.

She knew the accused killer, former Justice of the Peace Eric Williams. She appeared in his court. She liked him. She still struggles to understand how, as alleged, he could have plotted for weeks to kill his own former colleagues, the core of the county's law-enforcement community.
 ::snipping3::

Hebert briefly considered Eric Williams as a suspect, but - like many other county residents who knew Williams - she didn't take the idea seriously.

McLelland, though, believed it from the start. Hebert recalled that the theft trial had become so bitter that McLelland and Hasse began carrying guns to work during the trial and stayed armed afterward.

McLelland shared his fears with county officials, and with almost anyone else who would listen, Hebert said.

"He went to the police. He went to the FBI. He went to the news," Hebert said.

As days passed with no arrests in Hasse's shooting, McLelland grew frustrated. He pushed detectives to put Williams on their radar screen.

"He felt that the only person that could have done it wasn't being looked at all," Hebert said.

Hebert said McLelland was a rock of strength in those scary days that followed. The tough-talking district attorney publicly vowed within hours of the killing that authorities would find the killers and pull them out of "whatever hole you're in."

"He showed not ounce of fear," she said. "He actually just worried about us and he led us through it."

Then came Easter weekend. Someone came to the McClellands' front door in Forney, and shot the husband and wife with an assault weapon.

Hebert was shopping for Easter dinner when her phone rang. The McLellands had been murdered.

Hebert was ordered to immediately go home. A desperate search was underway to locate everybody who worked in the prosecutors' office.

"They had to actually go through a list to make sure everybody was still alive," she said. "We didn't know who was doing this. We didn't know if there was only one target that day."

Hebert and other members of the office were put under 24-hour police protection. So were judges and other elected officials. Downtown Kaufman became a virtual armed encampment.

"Mark's death was shocking, but Mike and Cynthia's was terrifying," Hebert said. "At that point, we realized we're all in danger. It was clearly a target on our office."

Hebert became physically ill with fear. How could her boss be dead? She and other prosecutors began wearing bulletproof vests to work. Some bought guns.

The terror went well beyond Kaufman.

"It shook prosecutors all over the country," Hebert said. "I was receiving calls that they were getting protection all over Texas. That they had never been this scared in their lives."

After the McLellands died, she said she began to see Eric Williams as a viable suspect. So did investigators, who had put him under surveillance.

"We all started putting two and two together, and the only tie was Eric," Hebert said.

Several weeks later, Williams and his wife, Kim, were arrested on capital murder charges as authorities discovered evidence linked to the McLelland case in a Seagoville storage unit. Authorities later discovered the gun and a mask used in the killing of Hasse during a search of Lake Tawakoni.

Investigators alleged Eric Williams had other targets he wanted to assassinate, including current Kaufman County District Attorney Erleigh Norville Wiley.

"She had been my judge for five-and-a-half years," Hebert said. "She has small children, and my goodness, she's just a wonderful woman. Just thinking about it almost made me sick."

Hebert left the Kaufman County District Attorney's Office not long after the killings.

"I just lost the love for the job," she said, adding that she and her husband had already been planning to move closer to family.

http://keranews.org/post/kaufman-county-murder-trial-starts-today

 ::snipping3::

One-time Justice of the Peace Eric Williams faces the death penalty for murdering Kaufman County’s District Attorney, his wife, and an Assistant D.A. in 2013. The trial starts today in Rockwall County.

Two months later, McLelland and his wife were gunned down in their home. Because of publicity, this trial was moved. Residents of Rockwall County, not Kaufman, will decide the fate Williams. His wife Kim, also accused in this case, is listed as a prosecution witness. Judge Snipes has set aside three weeks for the trial.

http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/local/2014/11/30/kaufman-county-eric-williams/19723907/
Testimony wraps at Day 1 of Eric Williams trial
December 1, 2014

 ::snipping3::
t was Easter weekend of 2013 when McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, were shot to death inside their house in Forney. It was the last link in a chain of terror to hit this town. Two months earlier a masked man had gunned down one of McLelland's top assistants, Mark Hasse.

Tweets by @tanyaeiserer
On Monday, the former justice of the peace accused of killing them goes on trial. Eric Williams faces three accounts of capital murder, but prosecutors have chosen to try him for the murder of Cynthia McLelland.
Prosecutors allege that Williams held a deadly grudge after Hasse and McLelland successfully prosecuted him for stealing county computer monitors. Those 12 jurors who will decide Williams' guilt or innocence will be told of a complicated, months-in-the-making plot that included the clandestine purchase of getaway cars and the secret renting of a storage unit to hold the cars and other items used in the killings.

Special prosecutors Bill Wirskye and Toby Shook are seeking the death penalty.

Kim Williams also faces capital murder indictments in the deaths. No trial date has been set.

"When Mark Hasse was killed, nobody at that time was sure what had happened whether or not that was an isolated incident and so when that happened to the McLellands on the heels of it, it was disturbing there was no other way to put it," said Andrew Jordan, the county public defender and a fellow Lions Club member.

It was a chain of events that started Jan. 31. 2013.

On the morning he died, Hasse parked in the same county lot, practically around the corner from courthouse, just as he routinely did. He got out of his truck and started toward the courthouse.

Former Kaufman County DA investigator Bruce Bryant believes the killer clearly knew Hasse's routine. The prosecutor was shot five times before he could even draw his weapon.

"He put a lot of planning into this. I'm sure he did. He might have even partially followed him here before," Bryant said.

After the killings of the McLellands, downtown Kaufman became a virtual armed encampment as law officers flooded the town. Judges and other local officials came to the Lions Club meetings with bodyguards.

More...

Video

 ::MonkeyHang::   Williams planned and executed three people. ::MonkeyNoNo::  His wife was in on it all and was in the getaway car each time.  She could have prevented all three deaths, imo.   ::MonkeyNoNo::


http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/crime/2014/12/01/kaufman-prosecutors-outline-case-against-williams/19761337/
Day two of trial for man accused in Kaufman slayings
December 2, 2014

 ::snipping3::
On Monday, the 12 jurors who will decide Williams' fate began hearing testimony for the first time about a clandestinely-rented storage unit, secretly-purchased getaway cars, and an anonymous tip sent to Crime Stoppers confessing to the murders of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland, his wife, and prosecutor Mark Hasse.
In his opening statement, lead special prosecutor Bill Wirskye said the evidence will show that Williams set out to kill Hasse and McLelland, the two men who had successfully prosecuted him in March 2012 for burglary and theft of county computer monitors. The conviction resulted in Williams' disbarment and removal from office.

"The life that he knew, it disappeared... and when he watched it disappear, he began to plot and plan to seek vengeance — fatal and final retribution," Wirskye told jurors.

Prosecutors seek the death penalty against Williams. He is being tried specifically on the indictment for the killing of Cynthia McLelland.
 ::snipping3::
Williams' wife, Kim, is charged with capital murder in the cases. She is accused of being in the getaway car during all of the killings. Her trial date has not been set.

Defense attorneys asked few, if any, questions of the witnesses during opening testimony on Monday.
In the predawn hours of March 30, 2013, prosecutors say that Williams forced his way into the McLelland home with an AR-15 assault weapon.

"He cuts down a defenseless Cynthia McLelland in a blizzard of bullets," Wirskye said.

After shooting the district attorney's wife in the head, Williams then allegedly turned the assault weapon on Mike McLelland, pulling the trigger "over and over," the prosecutor said.
Wirskye said the evidence would show that Williams then stood over the body of McLelland and continued to fire weapons into the "defenseless body."

Investigators found at least 20 spent rounds from the weapon used in the killings, testimony showed. One of the spent shell cases was found under the slain DA. He had 16 gunshot wounds. His wife had eight, including gunshot wounds to the head, upper chest and chin.

Charles "C.J." Tomlinson, a Dallas police officer, testified about finding the bodies of the McLellands. He said his stepfather and mother — Skeet and Leah Phillips, who were best friends of the McLellands — became worried about after they couldn't reach them by phone. Tomlinson testified that his mother went by the home and no one came to the door.

The police officer said his mother asked that he and his stepfather go with her to see what was going on.

When he got there, Tomlinson said he found the front door unlocked.
"As soon as I saw that door swing open, I knew something wasn't right," said Tomlinson, who has since married the daughter of Cynthia McLelland.

He said he took several steps into the house and saw spent shell casings. He took a couple more steps and called out for Mike McLelland. He saw the body of Cynthia McLelland near the front entryway.

"She [Leah Phillips] just fell to her knees and started crying," Tomlinson said, adding that he saw spent shell cases nearby.

His stepfather stepped a little further inside and soon found the body of Mike McLelland in a hallway just outside a bathroom.

"There was nothing at that point that anyone could do for them," Tomlinson said.

Tomlinson testified that Cynthia McLelland was in the early stages of Parkinson's disease. Prosecutors said they brought up as evidence that it would have been hard for her to defend herself.

Members of the McLelland family were visibly upset as Texas Ranger Rudy Flores described the crime scene. He testified that investigators found no signs of forced entry and no signs of theft. Mike McLelland was found dressed in sweatpants and was shirtless.

Flores said investigators found a number of guns in the house. None had been discharged.

Within hours of the bodies being found, law officers met Williams in the parking lot of a restaurant and asked him where he had been that day. Williams told investigators that he had been in Quinlan, Texas, with his wife.

Quinlan, Wirskye said, is close to Lake Tawakoni, which is where Texas Department of Public Safety divers later found a mangled cell phone belonging to Williams and a gun and mask allegedly used in the killing of Hasse.

Williams told investigators that it had been a while since he had fired a gun. Test results showed that wasn't true, Wirskye added.

"This man had gunshot residue on his hands the night of the McLelland murders," Wirskye told jurors.

A few days later, a Texas Ranger and a sheriff's deputy interviewed Williams, and he told them that he had disposed of all of his guns. They also asked if he had done any computer searches of McLelland prior to the killings. He told them "no," Wirskye said.

About the same time, investigators obtained computer records showing that Williams was not telling the truth, Wirskye said.

During a search of the Williams residence on April 12, agents found the title from a white Ford Crown Victoria that investigators said was used as a getaway car in the McLelland killings. They also found a sheet of paper with a series of numbers.

Those correspond to Crime Stoppers tips — including one that was a confession to the murders.

"He sent an email to law enforcement claiming credit for the murders, thinking that he was anonymous, thinking law enforcement would never figure it out," Wirskye said. "But he was wrong."

Roger Williams, a one-time friend, testified that he came forward and told authorities about a storage unit that Eric Williams had secretly had him rent in late 2012 after seeing that law officers were searching the Williams residence. He said he and another fellow state guardsman decided that they needed to talk to the police.

He testified that he rented the storage unit after Eric Williams came to asking for a favor. Rodger Williams — who is not related to Eric Williams — had served in Texas National Guard with the defendant. He testified that Eric Williams wanted him to rent the locker in his name because he didn't want the authorities to know about it.

Rodger Williams said Eric Williams gave him $1,200 to cover a year of rent. He said he did not return to the storage facility until the day he led the Texas Rangers to it.

Asked if Eric Williams was still his friend and if he still had faith in him, Rodger Williams replied: "None whatsoever."

Inside Unit No. 18, prosecutors said they found a veritable treasure trove of evidence, including the Crown Victoria that testimony showed Eric Williams had purchased under a fake name.

They also found a live round that was said to have cycled through the same weapon that killed the McLellands.

Investigators have obtained records from the storage unit facility showing that someone had entered and left the unit at times corresponding to the McLelland murders.

Surveillance video from a nearby fast food restaurant shows Williams' sport utility vehicle arriving shortly before the time of the killings, and then the Crown Victoria leaving. The images show the Crown Victoria returning after the time of the murders, and Williams' SUV leaving.

Testimony showed that Williams used an underpass not far from the storage unit as a makeshift gun range because, prosecutors argued, he wanted to practice for the killings. Authorities found shell cases from the same weapon used in the McLelland murders.

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/27527576/friend-says-eric-williams-asked-him-to-hide-gun-parts-after-kaufman-county-murders
Witness says Eric Williams asked him to hide gun parts after Kaufman County murders
December 2, 2014

Testimony in the Kaufman County murder trial continued Tuesday and included discussions about the suspect's behavior around the time of the killings.

Eric Williams, a former justice of the peace, is on trial for the 2013 murder of Cynthia McLelland. He's also accused of killing McLelland's husband, Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland, and prosecutor Mark Hasse.

A man who served in the State Guard with Williams said Williams contacted him out the blue and asked for a favor.

David Hunt told the court they had an awkward conversation over lunch. He said Williams asked him to help him get rid of an upper, or the traceable part of an automatic rifle.

“I found the conversation to be awkward, somewhat forced. I think the conversation would be what I would call non-linear. Generally speaking conversations have a beginning, middle and end. This conversation felt like it was jumping around, just very odd," Hunt said.

Investigators who searched a storage unit that Williams allegedly rented found a Ford Crown Victoria, tactical gear, homemade explosives and two automatic rifle lowers, but no uppers.

Hunt told the court that he did not help Williams get rid of anything.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/crime/2014/12/03/kaufman-county-murders-shooting-killings-trial/19826635/
Both sides rest in Kaufman murder trial
December 3, 2014

ROCKWALL — The capital murder case against former Kaufman County Justice of the Peace Eric Williams has had it all: From ballistics evidence linking him to the 2013 shooting deaths of the district attorney and his wife; to his fingerprints on the alleged getaway vehicle; to incriminating e-mails sent from his computer after Mark and Cynthia McLelland were slain.

Over three days of testimony, jurors heard from about 30 witnesses as special prosecutors detailed their case against Williams, the 47-year-old disbarred lawyer who authorities say killed the McLellands along with top county prosecutor Mark Hasse in revenge for the two men prosecuting him for the theft of county computer monitors.

That successful prosecution cost Williams his job as a judge, and resulted in the loss of his law license. Investigators said those events set him on a deadly path to take out the two men he blamed most for his downfall.

Hasse was gunned down on January 31, 2013 as he walked to the Kaufman County courthouse, a killing that stunned the tiny town and put it in the national spotlight.

But it was the murders of the McLellands in their Forney home two months later, over Easter weekend, that sparked sheer terror. Prosecutors said the couple died in a "torrent of lead."
This trial has centered around the McLelland killings, because prosecutors are trying Williams on the indictment for Cynthia McLelland's death. Jurors never heard Hasse's name spoken during three days of testimony.

If Williams is convicted, prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Tuesday's testimony was mostly about guns and firearms evidence; Wednesday's testimony centered around the forensics, putting the finishing touches on this case.
"This case on guilt or innocence is not defensible," said Barry Sorrels, a prominent Dallas defense attorney. "There is no defense to the evidence that's been presented by the state. It's one incriminating fact after another, all tied together."

Sorrels attended all three days of testimony. He said lead special prosecutor Bill Wirskye followed through on his promise to deliver an "airtight case" to the jury.

AN AVALANCHE OF EVIDENCE

Over three days, jurors heard an avalanche of evidence, from incriminating e-mails sent to Crime Stoppers from the computer of Williams to an unspent cartridge recovered from Williams' secret storage unit that investigators said had cycled through the same assault rifle that killed the McLellands.

Sorrells said that unspent cartridge is the single strongest piece of evidence.

"That puts Eric Williams at the crime scene," he said. "It's better than a fingerprint. It made Eric Williams the shooter of Cynthia and Mike McLelland."

In testimony, jurors have heard that Williams agreed to be subjected to a gunshot residue test about 15 hours after the McLellands were slain. The accused man told investigators at that time that he had not fired a weapon.

Texas Department of Public Safety firearms examiner Thomas White told jurors on Wednesday that Williams had gunshot residue on his hands that night.

"These results are consistent with the individual within four hours before collection either fired a weapon; been near a weapon when it was fired; or handled some kind of object that had gunshot residue on it," he said.

Prosecutors contend that Williams likely had gunshot residue on his hands from disposing of the firearms evidence.

CAR, COMPUTER YIELD IMPORTANT CLUES

An FBI special agent testified about finding the title to that alleged getaway vehicle, a Ford Crown Victoria sedan, in a filing cabinet at the Williams residence. Earlier testimony showed Williams purchased the car under an alias.

A DPS fingerprint examiner said that two fingerprints found on that car belonged to Williams. The car was found inside a storage unit filled with dozens of firearms and other evidence.

Jurors heard testimony about searches for the words "Michael" and "McLelland" that were done from Williams' computer on January 6, 2013, months before the killings. They also heard testimony about Williams using cloaking software to send incriminating e-mails to Crime Stoppers.

The first of those messages arrived the day after the McLelland killings. In those e-mails, the sender appears to confess to the murders, and threatens more attacks if demands are not met.

Jurors were also told about the 119 hours that DPS divers spent searching the murky depths of Lake Tawakoni.

DPS Staff Sgt. Stephen Tippett testified that troopers dived a total of 16 days from August to March, explaining that they did so in a grid-like pattern.

"The visibility in Tawakoni is zero visibility," he explained to jurors. "lt's almost like chocolate milk... as you soon you get underwater, you lose visibility."

From those waters emerged some key evidence: A mangled cell phone belonging to Williams, and a gun and mask alleged to ahve been used in the killing of Hasse.

Jurors did not hear about the gun and the mask, presumably because of its link to the Hasse case. They also were not told that Williams' accused accomplice and estranged wife, Kim, led authorities to that location.

Perhaps the most dramatic moment in Wednesday's testimony came when the prosecution's final witness showed the jurors videos from the morning of the killings.

Security camera footage from a fast-food restaurant across the street from the storage facility shows a truck matching the description of Williams' arriving – about 40 minutes before the McLellands were gunned down.

A white car is seen driving out of Williams' secret storage unit and exiting the property. Security tapes from other businesses shows what appears to be that same car traveling along Interstate 20 going toward the McLelland's Forney residence.

Video from the surveillance cameras of other businesses shows the white car taking a different path as it returns to the storage facility. Surveillance video from the restaurant shows its return after the killings.

The truck then drives away.

IN HIS OWN WORDS

As their final act, prosecutors played a video of a television interview with Williams that occurred a few days after the McLelland murders. In it, he denied any involvement.
First, I want to say my deepest condolence goes to the McLelland family and all the people at the courthouse, most of which I know," Williams said. "I certainly wish them the best in bringing justice to this incredibly egregious act."

Williams added that McLelland and Hasse were merely doing their jobs when they prosecuted him.

With that, the prosecution closed its case. The defense then rested, too.

Eric Williams' defense attorneys presented no witnesses. Williams declined to testify on his own behalf.

A short time later, he appeared to shiver and appeared upset.

Closing statements will begin Thursday morning.
 ::snipping3::

http://kxan.com/2014/12/04/man-found-guilty-of-killing-texas-das-wife/
Man found guilty of killing Texas DA’s wife
December 4, 2014

ROCKWALL, Texas (AP) — A North Texas jury convicted a former public official Thursday of capital murder in a revenge plot against a district attorney, his wife and a top assistant.

Eric Williams now faces a potential death sentence after he was convicted in the 2013 murder of Cynthia McLelland, the wife of slain Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland. Testimony in the trial involved the deaths of both McLellands, and Williams also is indicted in the death of assistant prosecutor Mark Hasse.

Prosecutors took just three days to present their case against Williams, while his defense lawyers only had a closing argument and did not call witnesses. Defense attorneys and prosecutors declined to comment afterward.

After the verdict, Williams’ brother-in-law, Zach Bellemare, said the defense team “was terrible.”

The McLellands’ bodies were found inside their rural home east of Dallas in March 2013. The couple had already changed to go to bed when Williams charged into the home and opened fire. Prosecutors say Williams shot Cynthia McLelland in the head, and he then shot Mike McLelland and stood over his body, firing repeatedly.

Their deaths occurred two months after a masked gunman killed prosecutor Hasse outside a local courthouse building.

Prosecutor Bill Wirskye characterized Williams in closing arguments as “a ruthless killing machine.”

Williams was a former justice of the peace who lost his job and his law license after McLelland and Hasse successfully prosecuted him for stealing three computer monitors from a county government building. Williams was convicted in March 2012, about 10 months before Hasse was killed. “My life has taken a drastic turn,” Williams told a probation officer at the time.

The case was built on circumstantial evidence against Williams, and the weapon used to kill the McLellands has never been found.

“It’s a fantasy. It’s a guess. There’s no proof of it,” defense attorney Matthew Seymour said in closing arguments.

But prosecutors showed jurors evidence from a storage locker he had a friend rent in secret. Inside the locker was the suspected getaway vehicle, more than 30 guns and police tactical gear. A dive team that searched a local lake also found a gun believed to have been used to shoot Hasse and a mask Williams allegedly wore.

Williams’ estranged wife, Kim, has been indicted for capital murder, though her attorney has said she is cooperating with prosecutors. She did not testify in the trial. She’s accused of having driven the getaway vehicle after Hasse’s killing.

Prosecutors also found a password in Williams’ home to an account on the Crime Stoppers tips website used to send a partial confession. One message presented in court said, “Do we have your full attention now?”

Prosecutors decided to pursue the three murder charges individually, because if Williams was acquitted in the death of Cynthia McLelland, they then could try him in the slaying of Mike McLelland. Had prosecutors not won either case, they would bring Williams to trial in Hasse’s death.

The trial was held in neighboring Rockwall County due to the attention the case received in Kaufman County. The sentencing phase begins Monday.

 ::MonkeyHang::

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/27572269/punishment-phase-starts-monday-in-kaufman-murders-case
Punishment phase starts Monday in Kaufman murders case
December 8, 2014

Jurors are considering life in prison or the death penalty for a former justice of the peace convicted of killing a prosecutor's wife in Kaufman County.

The trial of Eric Williams enters the punishment phase Monday in Rockwall.

Williams was convicted Thursday of capital murder in a revenge plot against a Kaufman County district attorney, his wife and a top assistant.

He lost his judicial job and law license after being prosecuted and convicted in 2012 of stealing county computer monitors.

Williams was found guilty in the March 2013 fatal shooting of Cynthia McLelland. Her husband, Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland, was also found slain at their home. Williams is also charged with killing assistant prosecutor Mark Hasse (HAS'-ee) in January 2013.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/crime/2014/12/09/punishment-phase-williams-continues/20133699/
Death penalty jury sees Williams' arsenal
December 9, 2014

ROCKWALL — Prosecutors staged a virtual gun show Tuesday as they tried to convince a jury to give Eric Williams the death penalty for killing Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife in 2013.

Three custom-built wooden stands were set up in the courtroom to display 39 pistols and 22 long guns seized from Williams' storage unit, as well as two guns found in Lake Tawakoni and another weapon seized from Williams' residence.

Jurors learned that Williams did a computer search on the home address of Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse and on the license plate of one of Hasse's neighbors, indicating that he was watching the prosecutor in the days before he was assassinated.

Prosecutors said Williams did computer searches on the men now prosecuting him for murder, and he also researched members of the news media. He was apparently trying to keep tabs on the investigation, even downloading a copy of the McLelland search warrant the day after the murders.
 ::snipping3::

This was the second day of testimony in the punishment phase of the trial. Prosecutors are expected to wrap up their case on Wednesday, calling for the death penalty.

The defense will then follow with its own witnesses, arguing that Williams should be sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Last Thursday, the jury found Williams guilty of capital murder in the murders of the McLellands.

Mike and Cynthia McLelland died in a "torrent of lead" at their Forney home over Easter weekend in 2013. Police recovered 20 spent shell casings from the crime scene.

Mark Hasse was gunned down "in cold blood" two months earlier as he walked to the Kaufman County Courthouse.

The jury heard Monday for the first time about the death of Hasse and about the evidence linking Williams to the crime. Prosecutors said Williams meticulously plotted revenge because Hasse and McLelland had prosecuted him for stealing county computer monitors. The conviction cost Williams his job as a judge and he lost his license to practice law.

On Tuesday, prosecutors showed just how well Williams had armed himself.

Prosecutors set up the massive display of weaponry during the lunch break. Defense attorneys were clearly caught off-guard and immediately objected.

"This display is horrendous," lead defense attorney Matthew Seymour said. "The display of these items is wholly unnecessary and prejudicial ... This is clearly designed for one purpose and one purpose only, and that is to inflame the jury."

Seymour contended that there was no need to bring all the guns into the courtroom since jurors had already seen pictures of the evidence seized from Williams' storage unit.

State District Judge Michael Snipes disagreed.

One by one, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agent Matt Johnson displayed Williams' firepower, explaining the capabilities of each firearm. He also showed knives, a machete, a crossbow, and boxes of ammunition — plus two jars containing something like napalm.

In photographs, the jury was also shown an assortment of police shirts; a police badge; body armor; and raid jackets found in the storage unit.

In Williams' home, investigators found a copy of a manifesto written by Christopher Dorner, the disgruntled Los Angeles police officer who launched a series of attacks against law enforcement personnel.

Prosecutors also sought to show that Williams was remorseless, playing part of an interview they secretly recorded just days after the McLelland murders. Investigators initially encountered him at the home of his in-laws who live down the street.

Williams told investigators that he had already answered written questions about the Hasse murder. He explained that at the time of Mark Hasse was slain, his "frozen shoulder" issue had flared up and that's why he was wearing a sling. Earlier testimony showed that he told investigators on the day of Hasse's death that he was wearing the sling because he had had surgery.

On the day of the recorded interview, Williams denied having had surgery. He said that he was home at the time of the McLelland killings.

Asked if he had anything to do with any of the deaths, Williams replied: "No, absolutely not."

He told investigators that he and his wife drove to Quinlan the night that the McLellands were found dead.

Quinlan is not far from Lake Tawakoni where the guns and weapons linked to Hasse's murder were later found. Ballistics testing showed that one of those guns was used to kill the prosecutor. The other had been purchased by Williams' wife, Kim, in the late 1990s.

Investigators asked about Williams' weapons collection. He told them he had sold all but one — a .44-caliber handgun.

"I have one gun that I'm trying to sell," Williams was heard saying in the recording.

He refused to say who he sold the weapons to, telling investigators that had has given them as "much information" as he was going to. He told them that most of the firearms were sold at gun shows.

"Anything I say will be used against me," Williams said. "I know what you're trying to do; I've been through this … It's just going to keep going and going."

Still, at times, the recorded conversation seemed almost pleasant. Williams laughed and joked with the officers, telling them at one point that he has no money and he sold his weapons because he needed money.

The investigators asked to search Williams' home. He initially declined, but they ultimately convinced him to let them look around. He rode over on his Segway and let them in.

While his home was being searched, Williams and the investigators are heard chatting about where he went to school, about his service in the National Guard reserves, and in the state guard.

Soon after that recording was made, investigators found the arsenal in Williams' storage unit.

In court Tuesday, prosecutors argued the guns served as proof that Williams had lied. They hope jurors will see him as a continuing danger to society who should be put to death.

Jurors were also told about a disturbing e-mail that Williams sent to a colleague in 2007. At that time, Williams was acting as a guardian ad litem in cases involving children, and he had become upset with another lawyer.

Williams wrote that he was "ready to eat barbed wire and drink nails. I'll drink gasoline and piss napalm."

He wrote that he would prevail.

"No judge in this country can stop me. They know it and I know it. "

Of the person he was angry with, Williams wrote that he would take him down.

"I have no problem sending him to the hospital with a severed vertebrae, removing his children's organs, throwing his wife into a gang bang train or anything else creative you can come up with," he wrote. "I just don't really like this guy, and he should go somewhere else, if allowed to live."

Williams ends the rant with this: "How about we don't share this e-mail?"

Testimony in the punishment phase of Eric Williams' trial was scheduled to resume at 10 a.m. Wednesday. It will be broadcast live on WFAA.com

http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/crime/2014/12/09/punishment-phase-williams-continues/20133699/
Slide show at above link.


(http://i.imgur.com/zpAwEdW.jpg) (http://imgur.com/zpAwEdW)
Prosecutors displayed an arsenal of weapons at Eric Williams' murder trial on December 9, 2014. (Photo: Tanya Eiserer / WFAA)

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/27595960/state-rests-ahead-of-eric-williams-sentencing
State rests ahead of Eric Williams sentencing
Posted: Dec 10, 2014 11:56 AM CST
Updated: Dec 10, 2014 11:57 AM CST

Prosecutors have finished calling witnesses for the penalty phase of Eric Williams' murder trial.

Williams was convicted last week in the 2013 death of Cynthia McLelland. He's also accused of killing Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and prosecutor Mark Hasse.

The state rested Wednesday morning without calling Williams' estranged wife and co-defendant to testify. Legal experts thought she might because she was allegedly an eyewitness to the murders.

Instead, one of final witnesses was one of Williams' ex-girlfriends from the 1990s. She said he threatened her with a gun after she broke off their relationship.
 ::snipping3::
Earlier in the penalty phase jurors were shown a stash of guns, ammunition and fake police uniforms that were found at Williams' home and in his storage unit. He told police he was buying and selling it all legally.

The defense could begin presenting its case Wednesday afternoon.

Williams is facing the death penalty.

::MonkeyNoNo::


http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/crime/2014/12/16/kim-williams-murder-trial-eric-kaufman/20474739/
Wife: Williams celebrated Kaufman murders with steak dinner
December 16, 2014

ROCKWALL -- The estranged wife of convicted killer Eric Williams testified Tuesday that her husband celebrated the deaths of Kaufman County's district attorney and his wife with a steak dinner, and planned to continue killing other county officials.
Kim Williams, who has been helping investigators build their case against Eric Williams, testified as the final witness for the prosecution in the penalty phase of her husband's murder trial. She told the defense that by testifying, she is hoping to avoid the death penalty.

Kim told the jury that while she is guilty of being an accomplice in the murders, her husband was the trigger man behind the deaths of District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia.

Prosecutors already have won a guilty verdict in those killings. During the penalty phase of the trial, they are seeking the death penalty for the former justice of the peace. The defense argues that he should receive a life sentence.

Kim Williams' testimony supported two points critical to the argument for a death penalty: That her husband killed in cold blood, and that he posed a continuing danger to society.

She said Eric Williams carefully planned each killing, celebrated with a steak dinner after the deaths, and had identified additional targets. They included current Kaufman County District Attorney Erleigh Wiley and retired State District Judge Glen Ashworth. Kim said Eric had a "good relationship" with Ashworth, his former boss.
 ::snipping3::
Prosecutors and defense attorneys both argue that Eric Williams became enraged after his former colleagues in Kaufman County government won his conviction on a charge of stealing three computer monitors from the county. The conviction cost Williams his job as a justice of the peace, and his license to practice law. Defense lawyers, seeking to soften his punishment, have argued that the prosecution was unreasonable.

On the stand Tuesday, Kim Williams said her husband was more angry at Hasse than anyone after the conviction. She outlined his plan to kill Hasse, McLelland and Ashworth. She said he had planned to kidnap Ashworth and kill him with a crossbow and napalm, before putting him in their freezer.

Kim said they scoped out where they would kill Hasse and called it the "Tombstone Plan." She added that Eric was "excited and happy" when he was about to kill Hasse outside the courthouse.

"His anger was my anger," Kim Williams said.

"I asked him if Mark said anything," Kim recalled. "And he told me that Mark said "No, no, please no."

She added that he appeared satisfied with himself.

She said after Hasse's murder, they stashed their getaway car in a storage unit and Eric cleaned it of fingerprints.

Kim then outlined the plan to kill the McLellands. She said they originally planned to kill Mike McLelland near the courthouse as well. Then they decided to kill him at home. Kim said that Eric told her Cynthia McLelland had to be killed because she would be a witness and was "collateral damage."

She also said that Eric dressed as a SWAT team member for the Forney killings. She told jurors that she and her husband celebrated with a steak cookout after the murders and were "joyous and happy."

Kim Wiliams told the jury that she and Eric had had code for talking by using a deck of cards. Mike McLelland was the "King." Erleigh Wiley was the "Queen."

After the murders, Kim Williams led investigators to the two guns, a cell phone and a grim reaper mask that were found in Lake Tawakoni. Ballistics testing showed that one of the guns was used to kill Hasse. The other gun had previously been purchased by Kim Williams. The gunman in Hasse's death was wearing a mask like the one police recovered.

She also showed police where Williams had performed target practice in preparation for the killings. Authorities found shell casings there that matched those found at the McLelland home and the unfired shell casings found in Eric Williams' secret storage unit.

After Kim Williams' testimony, members of the FBI and former judge and current Kaufman Co. DA Erleigh Norville Wiley, who was on Eric Williams' hit list, took the stand.

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/27640473/wife-testifies-ex-judge-fatally-shot-3-for-revenge
Estranged wife testifies against Kaufman County killer Eric Williams
December 16, 2014

The estranged wife of convicted Kaufman County killer Eric Williams testified Tuesday during the sentencing phase of his trial. She talked how they planned and carried out the murders.

Eric Williams was found guilty earlier this month in the shooting death of Cynthia McLelland. He is also accused of killing Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and prosecutor Mark Hasse.

Kim Williams told jurors Tuesday that her testimony was voluntarily. She is also charged with capital murder and admitted her guilt.

Kim said Eric was the one who pulled the trigger, but she helped him because she believed in him and loved him. She also admitted being a drug addict.

“I was so drugged up, his anger became my anger,” she said.

Kim testified that Eric was mad at Hasse and McLelland because they prosecuted him for stealing county computer equipment in 2011. He lost his job as a Kaufman County justice of the peace and his law license.

She claimed he drank a lot of beer and believes it affected his diabetes and way of thinking. He started talking about killing judges and Hasse, she said.

Kim admitted making napalm for her husband.

“He wanted to kill Hass, then bore out his stomach and put the napalm in it,” she said.

Ultimately they went with the “Tombstone” plan for Hasse's murder, which was based on the movie in which people are hunted and killed in the street, Kim said.

Kim admitted being the getaway driver that day. She said they parked the car in a storage unit afterward and drove home feeling happy and satisfied.

For the McLelland murders, Kim said Eric's plan was to dress up like a cop, ring the doorbell and say there was a gunman in the area. He even modeled the fake sheriff's outfit for her the night before.

Cynthia McLelland's death was collateral damage, she said.

Kim testified that she and her husband drove to her parent's house near Lake Tawakani after shooting the McLellands. They threw the evidence in the lake and then celebrated with grilled steaks.

Eric also had plans to kill at least two other judges, his wife said.

Prosecutors asked Kim why she chose to testify.

"Because those families have suffered and they deserve this," she answered.

During cross examination, Kim also said she is also hoping her testimony will spare her the death penalty.

Eric is facing a sentence of either life in prison or the death penalty.

His defense attorneys rested their case Monday after calling several character witnesses – his mother, childhood friends and a few co-workers.

Just heard that they gave him the death penalty on our local news.   ::justice2nj2::

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/27650397/kaufman-county-killer-eric-williams-sentenced-to-death

 ::snipping3::

ROCKWALL, Texas - ROCKWALL, Texas (AP) -- A former justice of the peace in North Texas was sentenced to death Wednesday for killing a district attorney's wife in what prosecutors described as a revenge plot that left three people dead.

Eric Williams was convicted Dec. 4 of capital murder in the 2013 death of Cynthia McLelland, who was slain along with her husband, Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland, in their home east of Dallas.

Williams has been charged, but not tried, in the deaths of Mike McLelland and prosecutor Mark Hasse.

The 47-year-old Williams lost his job and law license after McLelland and Hasse prosecuted him for theft and burglary.

Prosecutors say that conviction pushed Williams over the edge. During his trial, they presented evidence that he paid a friend to rent a storage unit where he kept more than 30 guns, police tactical gear and a getaway car.

BBM  No.  No new trial.  The murders were premeditated, well planned.  Not buying it.  Suck it up Eric.

www.wfaa.com/story/news/crime/2015/01/17/kaufman-county-killer-seeks-new-trial/21917909/
Kaufman County killer seeks new trial
January 17, 2015

Eric Williams, the former Kaufman County justice of the peace who was sentenced to death last month for murdering District Attorney Mike McClelland and his wife in 2013, is asking for a new trial.

Public defender John Wright filed a motion on Friday asserting that a doctor has determined that Williams suffered a "probable prior brain injury" linked to "uncontrolled diabetes" that affected his judgment, behavior and emotion.

Wright argues that this "newly discovered evidence" could have saved his client from a death sentence.

The condemned man's attorney also contends that Judge John Snipes, who presided over Williams' murder trial, was "demonstrably biased in favor of a capital murder conviction."

At Williams' trial, prosecutors presented evidence linking him to the murders of Mike and Cynthia McClelland and the streetcorner assassination of prosecutor Mark Hasse. They said the defendant was motivated to kill after being convicted of stealing county property, then being removed from his JP post and stripped of his license to practice law.

Eric Williams' appeal for a new trial will be heard by 62nd District Court presiding Judge Webb Biard.