State v. Williams

988 P.2d 722, 268 Kan. 1, 1999 Kan. LEXIS 487
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedSeptember 24, 1999
Docket78,444
StatusPublished
Cited by63 cases

This text of 988 P.2d 722 (State v. Williams) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Williams, 988 P.2d 722, 268 Kan. 1, 1999 Kan. LEXIS 487 (kan 1999).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Lockett, J.;

Defendant appeals convictions of two counts of first-degree premeditated murder and four counts of attempted first-degree murder, claiming the second trial constituted double jeopardy. Defendant also contends the trial court erred in denying his motions for new trial at the second trial, admitting his out-of-court statements, allowing the State’s complaint to be amended, failing to instruct on aggravated battery as a lesser offense of attempted premeditated first-degree murder, and insufficient evidence to sustain the convictions.

The events relevant to the crimes of which Alfred Jerome Williams was convicted began at the Shawnee Mission North High School (SMNHS) homecoming football game against Olathe North High School (ONHS) on Friday, September 22, 1995, and ended on Sunday evening, September 24, 1995.

During the game, a fight broke out between ONHS students and students from SMNHS. Williams participated in the fight until teachers and administrators intervened. After the game, another student disturbance broke out. Threats, taunts, and profanities *3 were exchanged between the students from the two schools. Teachers, administrators, and security officers again attempted to disperse the students. Eric Hulse, a school resource officer for SMNHS, testified that Williams was visibly angry, yelling and cursing. He testified that Williams and another student began hitting Noah Correa, until Correa was on the ground. Correa eventually escaped by running away. The Olathe police department arrived and dispersed the students.

After leaving the game, Williams and several friends met at a donut shop in Olathe. They were joined by another group of young people, and an argument began. Williams and others forced Jibri Burnett, a student from ONHS, across the street where they beat and kicked him.

In the late evening of the next day, Saturday, September 23, 1995, Williams and several friends met at Williams’ apartment complex to discuss an incident where an ONHS student had chased one of their friends. Williams showed James Whitaker a .22 caliber semiautomatic handgun. Williams told the group to meet back at his apartment complex on Sunday afternoon.

On Sunday, September 24, 1995, a large group met at Williams’ apartment complex. There were several weapons in the crowd. Williams was “fidgeting” with his .22 semiautomatic, putting the clip in and taking it back out. After about an hour, the group departed the apartment complex in five cars.

The car in which Williams was riding cut off and almost hit a car driven by Darren Dillard. Dillard followed Williams’ car to the donut shop parking lot. Williams got out of the car and asked if Dillard was from ONHS. Dillard responded that he was not. Williams asked Dillard if he knew the whereabouts of Jibri, and Dillard said that he did not know Jibri. Williams told Dillard that if he saw people from ONHS, he should tell them to meet “him and his boys” at ONHS.

Dillard went to his cousin’s house and related what he had been told by Williams. Dillard’s cousin, Arland Bruce, and Dillard went to ONHS where they encountered Williams and his companions. Williams told them that “somebody messed with his boys at the [game] Friday night, and they came to take care of business.” Wil *4 liams told Dillard to inform people from ONHS to meet him at 6 p.m. Williams told Bruce, “We’re looking for some punk-ass nigger named Jibri.” Bruce left ONHS and went to the home of Jibri’s cousin. Bruce told someone at the house to inform Jibri that someone was looking for him.

Williams and James Whitaker rode to ONHS on Sunday night in Chris Campos’ car. En route, Williams pulled the back seat down and put his gun, wrapped in a blue bandanna, in the trunk of the car.

At ONHS, Williams and his friends were confronted by a group of people from ONHS. Williams told Whitaker to get his gun from the trunk of the car. Whitaker retrieved the gun and gave it to Williams. Williams put the gun in his front pocket.

Shortly after, other cars arrived in the area. Approximately 20 people got out of the cars and began running toward Williams’ group. Williams told his companions that it was time to leave. Williams and Whitaker got back into the car with Campos. Williams was in the back seat on the driver’s side of the car.

As Campos began to drive away from the scene, Williams told him to turn around and go back. Campos made a U-turn and returned to the scene. Whitaker looked into the back seat and saw that Williams had rolled down the back window and was pointing his gun out the window.

Williams then told Campos to stop the car. Williams fired into the crowd six or seven times. After the discharges, Whitaker heard the gun click. Williams said, “Damn, out of bullets.”

When the shots were fired, the crowd began to quickly disperse. An individual left the crowd, ran to Campos’ car, and broke out the back driver’s side window. Campos sped up, and his car hit another car. Campos stopped; Jeff Dunn, a friend, ran to the car and entered through the back passenger side door.

Dunn remarked that Williams could have shot him when Williams fired into the crowd. Williams responded, “I knew where you were. This is how much love I got for you.” Williams informed his companions that he had shot someone in the leg and someone in the arm.

*5 The men drove back to Williams’ apartment where they met Eric Gonzales. Williams, Dunn, Reggie Johnson, and Eric Cox got into Gonzales’ car. Williams, who was holding the gun on his lap, told Cox, who had not been at ONHS, “We busted caps on some fools.” Williams said that as he shot the gun at ONHS, he observed people holding their stomachs and dropping to the ground.

Williams asked Cox to hold his gun until Monday. Cox agreed. When they arrived at Cox’s house, Williams gave him the gun. As Cox walked by the trash dumpster at his apartment complex, he threw the gun, wrapped in blue bandannas, in the dumpster.

Two people were killed and four people were injured at the ONHS shooting. Williams was charged with two counts of premeditated first-degree murder, four counts of attempted premeditated first-degree murder, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm. Prior to trial, Williams pled guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm.

Williams’ trial began on May 10, 1996. After two weeks of evidence, with Williams’ consent the judge ordered a mistrial after it was discovered that a defense witness had given perjured testimony.

Williams’ second trial commenced on August 12, 1996. On August 29, 1996, the jury found Williams guilty of two counts of premeditated first-degree murder and four counts of attempted premeditated first-degree murder. Williams was sentenced to two hard 25 life sentences on the murder convictions, four 92-month imprisonment sentences on the attempted murder convictions, and one 9-month imprisonment sentence on the criminal possession of a firearm conviction. Williams appeals the convictions.

DOUBLE JEOPARDY

Williams’ first trial resulted in a mistrial because a defense witness provided perjured testimony.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
988 P.2d 722, 268 Kan. 1, 1999 Kan. LEXIS 487, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-williams-kan-1999.