A federal court has overturned the 2015 homicide conviction of Eddie Williams, a Lebanon County man, due to "prejudicial actions" taken during his initial trial. Williams was sentenced to life in prison without parole after being found guilty of first-degree homicide, conspiracy to commit homicide, attempted homicide, robbery, illegal possession of a firearm, and multiple other crimes. The case will now return to Lebanon County for a retrial.
In 2014, Williams, along with his girlfriend and cousin, allegedly plotted to rob a local drug dealer. The trio entered the victim's home at the Fox Ridge Apartment complex and shot two men inside. One man was killed, and the other survived a gunshot wound to the brain. Williams was arrested months later in Philadelphia. The surviving victim identified Williams as the man who shot him during the trial, and DNA evidence found on the weapon matched Williams' DNA.
The appeal centered over Williams’ cousin pleading guilty in the case months prior. The Federal Court ruled the actions taken by the Trial Court as fatally prejudicial to the Defendant’s conviction. The cousin had pleaded guilty as a co-conspirator and as an accomplice, which did not eliminate Williams as the guilty party for murder.
The Lebanon County District Attorney's Office has stated that they will once again fight for Williams' conviction. District Attorney Pier Hess Graf referred to the federal court’s decision as a “procedural technicality” and said, “In 2014, two men were brutally attacked and executed in their own home. This shooting was one of the most brutal and nonsensical murders we’ve seen come through our community. In 2014, our Office fought for the conviction of each person responsible. Ten years later, we will fight for the conviction again.” reports Yahoo News.