Opinion ID: 2025015
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Historical background of this case

Text: Williams was convicted of two counts of felony murder for two killings committed in the course of a robbery. See Ind.Code § 35-42-1-1(2) (A person who ... kills another human being while committing or attempting to commit ... robbery ... commits murder, a felony.). The State sought the death penalty, alleging an intentional killing during a robbery and the multiple murders as the required aggravating circumstances. See I.C. § 35-50-2-9(b)(1) & (8) (1986). The Lake Superior Court followed the jury's unanimous recommendation and sentenced Williams to death. See I.C. § 35-50-2-9(e) (1986). Williams was tried with Gregory Rouster, who was also convicted of two counts of felony murder and sentenced to death. Two others were also charged in connection with the killings and robbery. Theresa Newsome was acquitted. Edwin Taylor pled guilty to robbery and he testified for the State. The victims, John Rease, age 74, and his wife, Henrietta Rease, age 59, had been foster parents to Rouster. They were found in the bedroom of their home on August 12, 1986, dead from gunshot wounds. The apparent motive was Rouster's belief that the Reases owed him money they had collected as his foster parents. The convictions and sentence with respect to Williams were affirmed on direct appeal in Rouster v. State, 600 N.E.2d 1342 (Ind.1992), reh'g denied (Ind.1993). The trial court's judgment denying relief in state post-conviction proceedings was affirmed on appeal in Williams v. State, 706 N.E.2d 149 (Ind.1999), cert. denied, 529 U.S. 1113, 120 S.Ct. 1970, 146 L.Ed.2d 800 (2000). The federal courts denied a petition for a writ of habeas corpus. Williams v. Anderson, 174 F.Supp.2d 843 (N.D.Ind.2001), aff'd, Williams v. Davis, 301 F.3d 625 (7th Cir.2002), cert. denied ___ U.S.___, 123 S.Ct. 1904, 155 L.Ed.2d 831 (Apr. 28, 2003). Williams has thus completed the traditional review of his convictions and death sentence to which he is entitled as a matter of right. In addition, last month, Williams tendered a successive post-conviction petition requesting that certain blood evidence be subjected to DNA testing. We acknowledged that DNA testing can provide important information about the appropriateness of a death sentence, but concluded that even a favorable test result for Williams would not call into question his guilt for the murders or the appropriateness of the death sentence. The request for DNA testing was denied. See Darnell Williams v. State, 791 N.E.2d 193 (Ind. 2003) (Order of June 27, 2003); reh'g denied (Order of July 22, 2003). Execution of the sentence has been ordered for August 1, 2003 before sunrise.