On September 28, Philadelphia Judge M. Teresa Sarmina grant­ed a stay of exe­cu­tion and a new sen­tenc­ing hear­ing to Terrance Williams because the pros­e­cu­tors sup­pressed impor­tant mit­i­gat­ing evi­dence. The evi­dence, which could have been pre­sent­ed at tri­al, indi­cat­ed the pros­e­cu­tors knew that Amos Norwood, Williams’s vic­tim, had been a pedophile who sex­u­al­ly abused Williams. The judge’s deci­sion came a day after the Board of Pardons agreed to recon­sid­er Williams’s clemen­cy plea. On September 17, the Board had vot­ed to allow the exe­cu­tion to pro­ceed. Williams’s defense lawyers also argued that the tri­al pros­e­cu­tor struck a deal with Marc Draper, Williams’s accom­plice, in exchange for Draper’s tes­ti­mo­ny that the killing occurred dur­ing a rob­bery, and was unre­lat­ed to pri­or sex­u­al abuse. Williams’s exe­cu­tion had been sched­uled for October 3. He would have been the first per­son exe­cut­ed with full appeals in Pennsylvania since 1962.

Williams’s con­vic­tion for the mur­der remains in place. The state may appeal the judge’s rul­ing to the state Supreme Court.

(J. Slobodzian, ​“Judge stays exe­cu­tion of Terrance Williams,” Philadephia Inquirer, September 28, 2012; M. Dale, ​“Judge Halts Execution of Terrance Williams,” NBC10​.com, September 28, 2012). Read the tran­script of the rul­ing in which Judge Sarmina over­turned Williams’s death sen­tence. See Arbitrariness and Clemency.

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