Wednesday afternoon, an Alameda County Superior Court judge ordered convicted double murderer Darnell Williams Jr. to be executed by the state of California. Williams, 25, of Berkeley was convicted by a jury in May, after nearly a month of testimony, of two fatal shootings in 2013. The victims were 8-year-old Alaysha Carradine, who was a guest […]
Darryl Billups
Posted inCrime, Crime & Safety
Jury recommends death in double murder case
An Alameda County jury came back Thursday to recommend a sentence of death in the case against Darnell Williams Jr., who had already been found guilty of the killings in 2013 of a little girl at a sleepover and a man who was pleading for his life as he tried to run away. The same jury found […]
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Jury to begin deliberations in murder trial of ‘psychopath’
In closing statements Tuesday in the murder trial of Darnell Williams Jr., attorneys on both sides said the 25-year-old Berkeley man was a psychopath. But they disagreed in their advice to the jury about what his sentence should be. Prosecutor John Brouhard told jurors the death penalty would be the fair and just punishment for Williams, who […]
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Williams decides not to testify; defense rests
After suddenly announcing Wednesday that convicted murderer Darnell Williams Jr. would testify on his own behalf, the defense team backtracked Thursday morning with the brief announcement that it would instead rest its case. The disappointment in the courtroom was palpable, as relatives and supporters of Williams’ two murder victims, along with other attorneys and interested […]
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Breaking: Convicted murderer says he’ll take the stand
Minutes after a forensic psychologist described the extensive and longstanding impulse-control problems exhibited by convicted murderer Darnell Williams Jr., he suddenly announced through his attorneys that he plans to take the stand in his own defense. His attorneys said it wasn’t the first time they had discussed the subject, but were not expecting the announcement Wednesday, just as […]
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Convicted killer: ‘I been in the streets since I was 9’
Despite knowing he would be arrested as a result, the father of a convicted murderer came to court Tuesday to ask for mercy for his son, who could face the death penalty after being found guilty earlier this month of gunning down two people, including a child, in 2013. Darnell Williams Sr., 49, told the Alameda County jury […]
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Attorney: Williams says ‘death sentence is fine with him’
A Berkeley man found guilty of two murders earlier this month, who could face the death penalty, asked an Alameda County Superior Court judge Monday to dismiss the jury and make his own ruling on sentencing. Both attorneys for 25-year-old Darnell Williams Jr. strongly advised him not to waive his rights to a jury trial, they said. […]
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‘Penalty trial’ begins in Berkeley-Oakland murder case
Darnell Williams Jr., found guilty earlier this month of two murders and several special circumstances, had a history of violent attacks both in and out of prison that make the death penalty the appropriate sentence for him, the prosecution said Monday. In the next phase of the case, attorneys are set to present evidence to show aggravating […]
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Guilty verdicts in Berkeley-Oakland death penalty case
After nearly a month of testimony, followed by less than two full days of deliberations, an Alameda County jury brought back a series of guilty verdicts Friday afternoon in connection with two fatal shootings in 2013 that took the lives of an 8-year-old girl at an Oakland sleepover and a 22-year-old Berkeley father. Scroll down for videos of […]
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Attorneys spar over evidence in death penalty case
A trail of 15 cartridge casings led from the scene of a dice game in West Berkeley toward the corner where Anthony Medearis III was struck with a bullet, fatally, in the back.
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Closing arguments begin in Berkeley-Oakland death penalty case: ‘Alaysha saw her killer’ and he saw her
After four weeks in trial, with 13 days of testimony and 36 witnesses, prosecutor John Brouhard began his closing arguments Monday.
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Sister of man charged with 2 murders takes the stand
The older sister of a Berkeley man who could face the death penalty if found guilty of two fatal shootings in 2013 testified on his behalf Monday, but her testimony may have done more harm than good. Chastity Williams, sister of Darnell Williams Jr., told the jury why she instructed her son — struck by a fragment […]