Post by Anja Nieser on Sept 20, 2006 15:08:32 GMT -5
CAPITAL MURDER TRIAL BEGINS
A Smith County jury began hearing evidence Tuesday about the life and
death of Cecelia Schneider.
Clifton Lamar Williams, 22, is charged with capital murder for the death
of 93-year-old Ms. Schneider, who was killed July 9, 2005. The defendant
faces the death penalty if convicted.
During opening statements, Smith County District Attorney Matt Bingham
said Ms. Schneider was a widow who lived alone. He said that in the late
hours of July 8, 2005, or early hours of July 9, 2005, Williams entered
her house and killed her.
Bingham said her face was beaten badly, she might have been strangled and
she was stabbed three times, including once in the heart. He said her body
was "horrifically and totally burned," found lying on the floor in front
of her bed. Her 2 cats were found dead and her purse and car were stolen.
At about 5 a.m., July 9, 2005, Williams went to a friend's house outside
town, changed clothes and threw away the clothes he had arrived in. When
asked about the cut on his hand, he said a man had pulled a gun on him and
he had to stab him, and then he took his car, Bingham told the jury.
Ms. Schneider's car was later found wrecked on Greenbriar Road. The knife
used in the murder was found in a nearby pond, and the victim's purse was
found by the pond.
Bingham said a mixture of Ms. Schneider's and the defendant's blood was
found on the steering wheel of her car. Williams' fingerprints were also
found inside the tan Toyota Camry and a cigarette with his DNA was found
in the ashtray of the car.
The defendant called his girlfriend and told her to get out of his
apartment and lock the door, Bingham said. For about 6 days, Williams told
different people a similar story of stabbing a man who threatened him with
a gun. When one man heard the story, he called police and told him about
the defendant, whom he knew as "Crazy C." Police issued a warrant for his
arrest and, late on July 15, 2005, Williams was brought to police by his
father and uncle, Bingham said.
Williams told police he had never been to Callahan Street and denied any
involvement in the murder. He eventually said that he was forced by a man
with a gun to smoke crack cocaine and break into the home, and that the
other man stabbed Ms. Schneider with a knife from her kitchen. Williams
said the man forced him to cut his own hand and drip his blood in the
house so police would find his DNA, Bingham said.
Bingham said there was no evidence linking the other man to the murder.
Bingham said about $40 taken from the victim was used to buy drugs. He
said Ms. Schneider's body smoldered for hours in the sealed house before
the smoke could be seen.
DEFENSE
Defense attorney LaJuanda Lacy said the man who Williams claimed killed
Ms. Schneider told police he heard from Williams that he stabbed a man.
But, she said, no one Williams told about stabbing a man ever called
police.
Ms. Lacy said that according to the story Williams told several people, he
was threatened by a man with a gun, stabbed him, stole his car and wrecked
it.
Ms. Lacy said Williams, who was a mental patient at the Andrews Center,
denied at all times that he caused the death of Ms. Schneider. When he
began to tell police about the man who killed the victim, he became "very
tearful and cried," Ms. Lacy said.
She said the other man stabbed the woman as Williams cried out in protest.
He then covered the body with a blanket and set her on fire, Ms. Lacy
said.
She said there was no DNA or fingerprints that placed Williams in the
victim's home.
TESTIMONY
Mamie Johnson said Ms. Schneider came into the Tyler Senior Citizens
Center on Garden Valley Road 3 or more times a week to play games and eat
lunch. Ms. Johnson said Ms. Schneider was an independent woman, whom she
last saw on Thursday, July 7, 2005.
Ron Lewis lived directly across the street from Ms. Schneider's house at
311 Callahan St. He testified that his neighbor was "more like my
grandmother," and that he looked out for the woman. He said she was
extremely independent and wouldn't allow anyone to do much for her.
Lewis said Ms. Schneider had a schedule she followed each day, including
watering her flowers in the early mornings and evenings and attending a
Catholic church. He said she was extremely meticulous in caring for her
things, and not many people visited her home.
On July 9, 2005, he woke and looked out his window at about midnight and
saw Ms. Schneider's car parked in the carport and all of the lights on in
her house, he said. At about 4:30 p.m. that Saturday, he was alerted by a
neighbor that smoke was coming from her house.
He said he believed Ms. Schneider was gone because her car wasn't there,
but they called 911 and tried to enter the home to save her cats.
Lewis said that for more than a year before the murder, he had seen
Williams on the street regularly, visiting several houses. He said other
than walking through the backyards of Ms. Schneider and others, he did not
appear suspicious.
Firefighter Daniel Smith said he and Jamey Watson were the first to
approach the house at about 5:30 p.m. The front of the house was filled
with light smoke, but a back bedroom was "pitch black" because it was
filled with heavy smoke and they could only see an orange glow coming from
the bed. When they put out the fire, they discovered the woman's body, he
said.
Watson said the only thing on fire in the house was the bed, but the edges
of the floorboards and the carpet the body was lying on were glowing with
embers. He said he noticed there were 2 holes in the screen door, which he
thought was odd.
Watson also said it was odd that there were 2 fires - the bed and the
body, which could both burn for hours without causing big flames.
The trial, presided over by 114th District Judge Cynthia Stevens Kent, is
being held in the federal courthouse because of water damage caused by
weekend rains in the Smith County courthouse. Defense attorney Melvin
Thompson and First Assistant DA April Sikes are also trying the case,
which will resume at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
(source: Tyler Morning Telegraph)
A Smith County jury began hearing evidence Tuesday about the life and
death of Cecelia Schneider.
Clifton Lamar Williams, 22, is charged with capital murder for the death
of 93-year-old Ms. Schneider, who was killed July 9, 2005. The defendant
faces the death penalty if convicted.
During opening statements, Smith County District Attorney Matt Bingham
said Ms. Schneider was a widow who lived alone. He said that in the late
hours of July 8, 2005, or early hours of July 9, 2005, Williams entered
her house and killed her.
Bingham said her face was beaten badly, she might have been strangled and
she was stabbed three times, including once in the heart. He said her body
was "horrifically and totally burned," found lying on the floor in front
of her bed. Her 2 cats were found dead and her purse and car were stolen.
At about 5 a.m., July 9, 2005, Williams went to a friend's house outside
town, changed clothes and threw away the clothes he had arrived in. When
asked about the cut on his hand, he said a man had pulled a gun on him and
he had to stab him, and then he took his car, Bingham told the jury.
Ms. Schneider's car was later found wrecked on Greenbriar Road. The knife
used in the murder was found in a nearby pond, and the victim's purse was
found by the pond.
Bingham said a mixture of Ms. Schneider's and the defendant's blood was
found on the steering wheel of her car. Williams' fingerprints were also
found inside the tan Toyota Camry and a cigarette with his DNA was found
in the ashtray of the car.
The defendant called his girlfriend and told her to get out of his
apartment and lock the door, Bingham said. For about 6 days, Williams told
different people a similar story of stabbing a man who threatened him with
a gun. When one man heard the story, he called police and told him about
the defendant, whom he knew as "Crazy C." Police issued a warrant for his
arrest and, late on July 15, 2005, Williams was brought to police by his
father and uncle, Bingham said.
Williams told police he had never been to Callahan Street and denied any
involvement in the murder. He eventually said that he was forced by a man
with a gun to smoke crack cocaine and break into the home, and that the
other man stabbed Ms. Schneider with a knife from her kitchen. Williams
said the man forced him to cut his own hand and drip his blood in the
house so police would find his DNA, Bingham said.
Bingham said there was no evidence linking the other man to the murder.
Bingham said about $40 taken from the victim was used to buy drugs. He
said Ms. Schneider's body smoldered for hours in the sealed house before
the smoke could be seen.
DEFENSE
Defense attorney LaJuanda Lacy said the man who Williams claimed killed
Ms. Schneider told police he heard from Williams that he stabbed a man.
But, she said, no one Williams told about stabbing a man ever called
police.
Ms. Lacy said that according to the story Williams told several people, he
was threatened by a man with a gun, stabbed him, stole his car and wrecked
it.
Ms. Lacy said Williams, who was a mental patient at the Andrews Center,
denied at all times that he caused the death of Ms. Schneider. When he
began to tell police about the man who killed the victim, he became "very
tearful and cried," Ms. Lacy said.
She said the other man stabbed the woman as Williams cried out in protest.
He then covered the body with a blanket and set her on fire, Ms. Lacy
said.
She said there was no DNA or fingerprints that placed Williams in the
victim's home.
TESTIMONY
Mamie Johnson said Ms. Schneider came into the Tyler Senior Citizens
Center on Garden Valley Road 3 or more times a week to play games and eat
lunch. Ms. Johnson said Ms. Schneider was an independent woman, whom she
last saw on Thursday, July 7, 2005.
Ron Lewis lived directly across the street from Ms. Schneider's house at
311 Callahan St. He testified that his neighbor was "more like my
grandmother," and that he looked out for the woman. He said she was
extremely independent and wouldn't allow anyone to do much for her.
Lewis said Ms. Schneider had a schedule she followed each day, including
watering her flowers in the early mornings and evenings and attending a
Catholic church. He said she was extremely meticulous in caring for her
things, and not many people visited her home.
On July 9, 2005, he woke and looked out his window at about midnight and
saw Ms. Schneider's car parked in the carport and all of the lights on in
her house, he said. At about 4:30 p.m. that Saturday, he was alerted by a
neighbor that smoke was coming from her house.
He said he believed Ms. Schneider was gone because her car wasn't there,
but they called 911 and tried to enter the home to save her cats.
Lewis said that for more than a year before the murder, he had seen
Williams on the street regularly, visiting several houses. He said other
than walking through the backyards of Ms. Schneider and others, he did not
appear suspicious.
Firefighter Daniel Smith said he and Jamey Watson were the first to
approach the house at about 5:30 p.m. The front of the house was filled
with light smoke, but a back bedroom was "pitch black" because it was
filled with heavy smoke and they could only see an orange glow coming from
the bed. When they put out the fire, they discovered the woman's body, he
said.
Watson said the only thing on fire in the house was the bed, but the edges
of the floorboards and the carpet the body was lying on were glowing with
embers. He said he noticed there were 2 holes in the screen door, which he
thought was odd.
Watson also said it was odd that there were 2 fires - the bed and the
body, which could both burn for hours without causing big flames.
The trial, presided over by 114th District Judge Cynthia Stevens Kent, is
being held in the federal courthouse because of water damage caused by
weekend rains in the Smith County courthouse. Defense attorney Melvin
Thompson and First Assistant DA April Sikes are also trying the case,
which will resume at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
(source: Tyler Morning Telegraph)