STANLEY TOOKIE WILLIAMS
Name: Stanley Tookie Williams III
Born: 29 December 1953 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Died: 13 December 2005 Marin County, California, U.S.
Stanley Tookie Williams III (December 29, 1953 - December 13, 2005), born in New
Orleans, Louisiana, was a convicted murderer and an early leader of the Crips, a
notorious American street gang which had its roots in South Central Los Angeles
in 1971. In December 2005 he was executed for the 1979 murders of Albert Owens,
Yen-Yi Yang, Tsai-Shai Lin, and Yee-Chen Lin. While in prison, he was nominated
for a Nobel prize for authoring books that were intended to help disenfranchised
youth.
Williams refused to aid police investigations with any information against his
gang, and was implicated in attacks on guards and other inmates as well as
multiple escape plots. In 1993, Williams began making changes in his behavior,
and became an anti-gang activist while on Death Row in California. Although he
continued to refuse to assist police in their gang investigations, he renounced
his gang affiliation and apologized for the Crips' founding, while never
admitting to the crimes for which he was convicted. He co-wrote children's books
and participated in efforts intended to prevent youths from joining gangs. A
biographical TV-movie entitled Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story was
made in 2004, and featured Jamie Foxx as Williams.
On December 13, 2005, Williams was executed by lethal injection after clemency
was rejected by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, amidst debate over the death
penalty and whether his anti-gang advocacy in prison represented genuine
atonement. Williams was the second inmate in California to be executed in 2005.
Name: Stanley Tookie Williams III
Born: 29 December 1953 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Died: 13 December 2005 Marin County, California, U.S.
Stanley Tookie Williams III (December 29, 1953 - December 13, 2005), born in New
Orleans, Louisiana, was a convicted murderer and an early leader of the Crips, a
notorious American street gang which had its roots in South Central Los Angeles
in 1971. In December 2005 he was executed for the 1979 murders of Albert Owens,
Yen-Yi Yang, Tsai-Shai Lin, and Yee-Chen Lin. While in prison, he was nominated
for a Nobel prize for authoring books that were intended to help disenfranchised
youth.
Williams refused to aid police investigations with any information against his
gang, and was implicated in attacks on guards and other inmates as well as
multiple escape plots. In 1993, Williams began making changes in his behavior,
and became an anti-gang activist while on Death Row in California. Although he
continued to refuse to assist police in their gang investigations, he renounced
his gang affiliation and apologized for the Crips' founding, while never
admitting to the crimes for which he was convicted. He co-wrote children's books
and participated in efforts intended to prevent youths from joining gangs. A
biographical TV-movie entitled Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story was
made in 2004, and featured Jamie Foxx as Williams.
On December 13, 2005, Williams was executed by lethal injection after clemency
was rejected by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, amidst debate over the death
penalty and whether his anti-gang advocacy in prison represented genuine
atonement. Williams was the second inmate in California to be executed in 2005.