For Immediate Release
Jan. 4, 2017
In 1994, Jackson County prosecutors recommended a prison sentence of 20 years for Alvis Williams, who had been convicted of 2nd Degree burglary and stealing. A Jackson County judge sentenced Williams to 80 years in prison.
Today, the maximum sentence for such conviction would be 7 years in prison
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker recently sent a written request to Gov. Jay Nixon, agreeing to a reduction in Williams’ sentence for time served, nearly 22 years in prison.
Baker noted that the maximum 80-year sentence was only possible for about a one-year period when 2nd Degree Burglary was listed as a dangerous felony that could make a defendant eligible for Class X classification. In 1994, 2nd Degree Burglary was removed from that list of Class X offenses.
Baker added that she was advised that the lead prosecutor and a victim in the 1994 case support clemency for Williams. In addition, if he were granted clemency, he will take assistance from the Bishop Sullivan Center in transitioning back to life in our community.
“He has now served 21 years as an inmate,” Baker wrote in her letter to Gov. Nixon. “It would be my desire to see him as a taxpayer and a contributor to his family.”
For more information, contact:
Michael Mansur
Director of Communication
Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office
Jean Peters Baker, Prosecutor
Work : (816) 881-3812
Mobile: (816) 674-3954
mmansur@jacksongov.org
http://jacksoncountyprosecutor.com