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Crips Co-founder sentenced to death

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Teddy Roosevelt:
Judge signs death warrant for Crips gang co-founder


LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- A judge signed a death warrant Monday for Stanley "Tookie" Williams, a co-founder of the notorious Crips gang who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his children's books.

Williams is scheduled to die December 13 at San Quentin prison. The judge rejected requests by his attorneys to delay the execution until December 22 to give them more time to seek clemency from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The December 13 date means attorneys have only until November 8 to submit a clemency request. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to consider Williams' case earlier this month.

"This case has taken over 24 years to get to this point," Superior Court Judge William R. Pounders said. "That is a long delay in itself, and I would hate to add to that delay."

Williams, 51, and a high school friend started the Crips street gang in Los Angeles in 1971.

Williams was sentenced to death in 1981 for fatally shooting Albert Owens, a convenience store worker, in 1979. He also was convicted of killing two motel owners and their daughter during a robbery that same year.

Williams maintains he is innocent, and supporters cite his renunciation of his past and his efforts to curtail gang violence, including a series of children's books he co-wrote in prison.

Supporters have nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize and the Nobel in literature, and a cable TV movie of his life last year starred Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx.

Dozens of death penalty opponents demonstrated outside the courtroom. Among them was actor Mike Farrell, who said the proceedings failed to consider "his value, his change, his transformation."

Lora Owens, Albert Owens' stepmother, said Williams does not deserve clemency.

"I didn't convict the man and I didn't put a death sentence on him, but I want justice for Albert to be done," she said in a recent telephone interview. "I will not let it go."

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/10/25/williams.execution.ap/index.html

J Bananas:
hmmm yeah childrens books dont really make up for killing a child, or making it so people are afraid of the streets.

7even:
why does it take so fucking long until they get killed after being given the death penalty.. 24 years.. lol wtf

Low Key:
The government gives the defense time to refute the charges just in case they arrested and convicted the wrong man. 24 years is a long time though. I'd give them about 5, then their asses would get fried.

cska-moscow:
Williams killed 4 innocent people and apparently he was bragging about it, he showed no remorse. I mean children's books are all good and that but they don't make up for 4 ruthless kilings. He knew what he was doing and the consequences of being caught and yet he still carried out the murders and cleaned up the scene of potential evidence.

24 years behind bars is long enough for appeals, he deserves the death penalty no matter how many books he writes.

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