Dobie Gillis Williams
Encyclopedia
Dobie Gillis Williams was convicted and executed in Louisiana
for the murder
of Sonja Knippers. In 2005, Williams was one of two subjects of a book by anti-death penalty activist Sister Helen Prejean
. She contended that Williams was wrongfully executed and could not have possibly committed the murder, and was convicted and executed because of ineffective legal counsel and because poor people are disproportionately executed.
s outside the Knippers' bathroom
window
and then cutting the screen
. When Sonja Knippers went to the bathroom some time later, Williams locked the door
and began stabbing Sonja with a knife
.
Herb Knippers unsuccessfully attempted to break down the bathroom door during the attack. Williams then fled the scene, exiting through the same bathroom window through which he entered. Sonja Knippers opened the door on her own, and was helped to a couch
. Herb told investigators that he heard his wife yelling that a black man was killing her. She bled to death
shortly afterwards.
At the time of the murder, Williams was on a five day furlough from Camp Beauregard
where had been imprisoned
for attempted simple burglary
. He was allowed the visit because he was considered a model prisoner and not prone to violence. He was staying at his grandfather's home, which was approximately 0.4 miles (0.6km) from the Knippers residence.
Williams had been seen approximately one hour
prior to the murder walking away from his grandfather's house. Investigating detectives were aware of Williams' criminal record
and picked Williams up for questioning
. They told him they would be there until they "...got what they wanted."
A subsequent medical examination
revealed scratch
es and abrasions on his body that were consistent with the type of wound
s one would expect an individual to have after quickly exiting through the Knippers' bathroom window.
After further questioning, three police officers testified that Dobie confessed. He told the officers that after the stabbing he jumped out of the bathroom window, dropped the knife in the Knippers' yard, and ran to his grandfather's house where he hid his shirt underneath the porch
. After Williams made his statement, the investigators returned to the Knippers' home where they found a kitchen knife in four inches of damp grass
. The officers later retrieved the shirt from the place where Williams hid it. Although no confession was obtained, an unsuccessful attempt was made to record the statement mechanically; at the trial, several investigating detectives testified
as to the content of the William’s confession.
Further forensic analysis of the crime scene
confirmed that the blood
found on the Knippers' bathroom window curtain
matched Williams' blood type
– a blood type very rare among African Americans. The analysis further confirmed that the blood could not have come from either Sonja or Charles Knippers. Hair
was also taken from the window, and was also found to have characteristics consistent with Williams' hair. However, a second team of DNA analysts found major issues with the first set of tests: sloppy technique, poor quality controls, and subjective interpretation. One test had one in four controls fail, but the lab used the faulty results to draw conclusions anyway. Finally, the autopsy
revealed that the stab
wounds in the victim's body were consistent with the type of wounds that would have been made by the knife found in the Knippers' yard.
of First Degree Murder in violation of Louisiana Revised Statute (R.S.) 14:30. A Motion
for a Change of Venue
filed by the defendant was granted, which resulted in the transfer of the case to the 35th Judicial District Court in Grant Parish
. After a four day trial
, the jury returned a verdict
of guilty as charged. At the sentencing phase of the trial, the jury unanimously recommended the death penalty, which the judge imposed.
at the Louisiana State Penitentiary
. Williams ate twelve candy bars and some ice cream for his last meal
. In his final statement, Williams said "I just want to say, I don't have any hard feelings against anybody. God bless y'all. God bless."
’s book The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions. The defense did not point out that his I.Q. was 65.Another of Prejean's points was that poor people are more likely to receive the death penalty than others.
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
for the murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of Sonja Knippers. In 2005, Williams was one of two subjects of a book by anti-death penalty activist Sister Helen Prejean
Helen Prejean
Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J., is a Roman Catholic religious sister, a member of the Congregation of St. Joseph, who has become a leading American advocate for the abolition of the death penalty.-Death row ministry:...
. She contended that Williams was wrongfully executed and could not have possibly committed the murder, and was convicted and executed because of ineffective legal counsel and because poor people are disproportionately executed.
Overview
According to the (successful) prosecution, Williams entered the home of Charles and Sonja Knippers in the early morning hours of July 8, 1984. He attained entry by stacking two milk crateMilk crate
Milk crates are square or rectangular interlocking boxes that are used to transport milk and other products from dairies to retail establishments. Middle 20th century ones were made of wood, later ones were stainless steel, and those made in the latter part of the century were of heavy-duty...
s outside the Knippers' bathroom
Bathroom
A bathroom is a room for bathing in containing a bathtub and/or a shower and optionally a toilet, a sink/hand basin/wash basin and possibly also a bidet....
window
Window
A window is a transparent or translucent opening in a wall or door that allows the passage of light and, if not closed or sealed, air and sound. Windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent material like float glass. Windows are held in place by frames, which...
and then cutting the screen
Window screen
A window screen, insect screen or bug screen is a metal wire, fiberglass, or other synthetic fiber mesh, stretched in a frame of wood or metal, designed to cover the opening of an open window. Its primary purpose is to keep leaves, debris, insects, birds, and other animals from entering a building...
. When Sonja Knippers went to the bathroom some time later, Williams locked the door
Door
A door is a movable structure used to open and close off an entrance, typically consisting of a panel that swings on hinges or that slides or rotates inside of a space....
and began stabbing Sonja with a knife
Knife
A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
.
Herb Knippers unsuccessfully attempted to break down the bathroom door during the attack. Williams then fled the scene, exiting through the same bathroom window through which he entered. Sonja Knippers opened the door on her own, and was helped to a couch
Couch
A couch, also called a sofa, is an item of furniture designed to seat more than one person, and providing support for the back and arms. Typically, it will have an armrest on either side. In homes couches are normally found in the family room, living room, den or the lounge...
. Herb told investigators that he heard his wife yelling that a black man was killing her. She bled to death
Exsanguination
Exsanguination is the fatal process of hypovolemia , to a degree sufficient enough to cause death. One does not have to lose literally all of one's blood to cause death...
shortly afterwards.
At the time of the murder, Williams was on a five day furlough from Camp Beauregard
Camp Beauregard
For the American Civil War site, see Camp Beauregard Memorial in Water Valley.Camp Beauregard is a U.S. Army installation located northeast of Pineville, Louisiana, primarily in Rapides Parish, but also extending northward into Grant Parish. It is currently operated by the Louisiana National Guard...
where had been imprisoned
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
for attempted simple burglary
Burglary
Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
. He was allowed the visit because he was considered a model prisoner and not prone to violence. He was staying at his grandfather's home, which was approximately 0.4 miles (0.6km) from the Knippers residence.
Williams had been seen approximately one hour
Hour
The hour is a unit of measurement of time. In modern usage, an hour comprises 60 minutes, or 3,600 seconds...
prior to the murder walking away from his grandfather's house. Investigating detectives were aware of Williams' criminal record
Criminal record
A criminal record is a record of a person's criminal history, generally used by potential employers, lenders etc. to assess his or her trustworthiness. The information included in a criminal record varies between countries and even between jurisdictions within a country...
and picked Williams up for questioning
Interrogation
Interrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...
. They told him they would be there until they "...got what they wanted."
A subsequent medical examination
Forensics
Forensic science is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to a legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or a civil action...
revealed scratch
Scratch
Scratch may refer to:* A mark or indentation on a surface: Abrasion It may also refer to:- Recordings :* Scratch , by Kaela Kimura* Scratch , the soundtrack to the 2001 documentary Scratch...
es and abrasions on his body that were consistent with the type of wound
Wound
A wound is a type of injury in which skin is torn, cut or punctured , or where blunt force trauma causes a contusion . In pathology, it specifically refers to a sharp injury which damages the dermis of the skin.-Open:...
s one would expect an individual to have after quickly exiting through the Knippers' bathroom window.
After further questioning, three police officers testified that Dobie confessed. He told the officers that after the stabbing he jumped out of the bathroom window, dropped the knife in the Knippers' yard, and ran to his grandfather's house where he hid his shirt underneath the porch
Porch
A porch is external to the walls of the main building proper, but may be enclosed by screen, latticework, broad windows, or other light frame walls extending from the main structure.There are various styles of porches, all of which depend on the architectural tradition of its location...
. After Williams made his statement, the investigators returned to the Knippers' home where they found a kitchen knife in four inches of damp grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
. The officers later retrieved the shirt from the place where Williams hid it. Although no confession was obtained, an unsuccessful attempt was made to record the statement mechanically; at the trial, several investigating detectives testified
Testimony
In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. All testimonies should be well thought out and truthful. It was the custom in Ancient Rome for the men to place their right hand on a Bible when taking an oath...
as to the content of the William’s confession.
Further forensic analysis of the crime scene
Crime scene
A crime scene is a location where an illegal act took place, and comprises the area from which most of the physical evidence is retrieved by trained law enforcement personnel, crime scene investigators or in rare circumstances, forensic scientists....
confirmed that the blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
found on the Knippers' bathroom window curtain
Curtain
A curtain is a piece of cloth intended to block or obscure light, or drafts, or water in the case of a shower curtain. Curtains hung over a doorway are known as portières...
matched Williams' blood type
Blood type
A blood type is a classification of blood based on the presence or absence of inherited antigenic substances on the surface of red blood cells . These antigens may be proteins, carbohydrates, glycoproteins, or glycolipids, depending on the blood group system...
– a blood type very rare among African Americans. The analysis further confirmed that the blood could not have come from either Sonja or Charles Knippers. Hair
Hair
Hair is a filamentous biomaterial, that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Found exclusively in mammals, hair is one of the defining characteristics of the mammalian class....
was also taken from the window, and was also found to have characteristics consistent with Williams' hair. However, a second team of DNA analysts found major issues with the first set of tests: sloppy technique, poor quality controls, and subjective interpretation. One test had one in four controls fail, but the lab used the faulty results to draw conclusions anyway. Finally, the autopsy
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
revealed that the stab
Stabbing
A stabbing is penetration with a sharp or pointed object at close range. Stab connotes purposeful action, as by an assassin or murderer, but it is also possible to accidentally stab oneself or others.Stabbing differs from slashing or cutting in that the motion of the object used in a stabbing...
wounds in the victim's body were consistent with the type of wounds that would have been made by the knife found in the Knippers' yard.
Trial
Williams was indicted by a Sabine Parish Grand JuryGrand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
of First Degree Murder in violation of Louisiana Revised Statute (R.S.) 14:30. A Motion
Motion (legal)
In law, a motion is a procedural device to bring a limited, contested issue before a court for decision. A motion may be thought of as a request to the judge to make a decision about the case. Motions may be made at any point in administrative, criminal or civil proceedings, although that right is...
for a Change of Venue
Change of venue
A change of venue is the legal term for moving a trial to a new location. In high-profile matters, a change of venue may occur to move a jury trial away from a location where a fair and impartial jury may not be possible due to widespread publicity about a crime and/or its defendant to another...
filed by the defendant was granted, which resulted in the transfer of the case to the 35th Judicial District Court in Grant Parish
Grant Parish, Louisiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 18,698 people, 7,073 households, and 5,276 families residing in the parish. The population density was 29 people per square mile . There were 8,531 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...
. After a four day trial
Jury trial
A jury trial is a legal proceeding in which a jury either makes a decision or makes findings of fact which are then applied by a judge...
, the jury returned a verdict
Verdict
In law, a verdict is the formal finding of fact made by a jury on matters or questions submitted to the jury by a judge. The term, from the Latin veredictum, literally means "to say the truth" and is derived from Middle English verdit, from Anglo-Norman: a compound of ver and dit In law, a verdict...
of guilty as charged. At the sentencing phase of the trial, the jury unanimously recommended the death penalty, which the judge imposed.
Execution
On January 8, 1999, Williams was executed by lethal injectionLethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
at the Louisiana State Penitentiary
Louisiana State Penitentiary
The Louisiana State Penitentiary is a prison farm in Louisiana operated by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections. It is the largest maximum security prison in the United States with 5,000 offenders and 1,800 staff...
. Williams ate twelve candy bars and some ice cream for his last meal
Last meal
The last meal is a customary part of a condemned prisoner's last day. Often, the day of, or before, the appointed time of execution, the prisoner receives a last meal, as well as religious rites, if they desire. In the United States, inmates generally may not ask for an alcoholic drink...
. In his final statement, Williams said "I just want to say, I don't have any hard feelings against anybody. God bless y'all. God bless."
Controversy
In 2005, Williams was the subject of anti-death penalty activist and Catholic nun Sister Helen PrejeanHelen Prejean
Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J., is a Roman Catholic religious sister, a member of the Congregation of St. Joseph, who has become a leading American advocate for the abolition of the death penalty.-Death row ministry:...
’s book The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions. The defense did not point out that his I.Q. was 65.Another of Prejean's points was that poor people are more likely to receive the death penalty than others.
External links
- State v. Williams, 490 So.2d 255Legal citationLegal citation is the practice of crediting and referring to authoritative documents and sources. The most common sources of authority cited are court decisions , statutes, regulations, government documents, treaties, and scholarly writing....
(La., 1986). posted on