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OXFORD – David Williams should be home by now, after four years in prison, blamed for the murder of fellow Ole Miss student Demetria Bracey.
Williams was driven home to Olive Branch by his parents about four hours after Circuit Judge Andrew Howorth ordered bail set at $100,000.
Last November, the Mississippi Supreme Court ordered a new trial for Williams, 28, saying sufficient evidence was presented at trial that a jury might have found that he only helped Bracey commit suicide, not murder her, if the jury had been given that choice.
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EARLIER WEDNESDAY:
OXFORD – David Williams was granted bail today as he prepared for a new trial in the 2005 stabbing death of fellow Ole Miss student Demetria Bracey.
A 2007 Lafayette County circuit jury convicted Williams, 28.
Judge Andrew Howorth, who presided over this morning's hearing, sentenced him to life in prison, and he's been in state custody ever since.
Howorth set his bond at $100,000. During his first trial, Williams was free on the same bond.
Williams will be free to go home with his parents, as soon as the paperwork is complete and they've met the conditions of the bond.
Recently, the Mississippi Supreme Court reversed his conviction and ordered a new trial, saying sufficient trial errors forced a new look at the case.
Justice George Carlson, writing for the majority, said Williams' jury should have had a choice to sentence him for assisting a suicide, rather than murder.
Williams insisted that he and Bracey, who were romantically involved, had a suicide pact but that he couldn't carry it out.
Williams appeared in court, handcuffed and with leg shackles. He wore an orange Lafayette County Detention Center jumpsuit and athletic shoes.
Before the 10 a.m. proceeding, he chatted with defense counsel. Family members sat behind him on the front row of the audience section.
In his motion for bail, offered by his attorneys, Williams says that under the law he is an innocent man until proved otherwise and deserves consideration for bail.
He also said he will live with his parents in Olive Branch, if allowed to leave jail. And he promises to report for all court hearings or other proceedings required of him.
No date has been set for his new trial.
District Attorney Ben Creekmore said recently that the case will be a priority for his office.
Read Thursday's Daily Journal or come back to NEMS360.com for developments.