08 LC 38
0652S
House
Resolution 1078 (RULES COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE)
By:
Representative Tumlin of the
38th
A
RESOLUTION
Compensating
Mr. Willie Otis "Pete" Williams; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS,
for nearly 22 years Mr. Williams has adamantly proclaimed his innocence and
maintained that his conviction was the result of mistaken eyewitness
identification; and
WHEREAS,
on September 12, 1985, a Fulton County jury found Mr. Williams guilty of rape,
kidnapping, and aggravated sodomy and he was sentenced to 45 years in prison;
and
WHEREAS,
Mr. Williams was 23 years old on the date of his sentencing and he spent the
next 21 years and nine months of his life in prison for a crime of which he was
innocent; and
WHEREAS,
while at the time of Mr. Williams´ conviction DNA testing was unavailable,
in 2007 it was such testing that proved Mr. Williams could not have committed
the crime for which he was convicted; and
WHEREAS,
since his release from prison on January 23, 2007, and full exoneration on
February 13, 2007, Mr. Williams has begun the arduous task of rebuilding his
life with the help and support of the Georgia Innocence Project and countless
volunteers; and
WHEREAS,
Mr. Williams has found a permanent residence, reconnected with his family, and
has started taking vocational classes at Atlanta Technical College;
and
WHEREAS,
while his transition into society – after spending almost half his life as
an innocent man behind bars – has been difficult, Mr. Williams continues
to meet these challenges head on and is determined to succeed in the life that
has been restored to him; and
WHEREAS,
Mr. Williams has suffered loss of liberty, personal injury, lost wages, injury
to reputation, emotional distress, and other damages as a result of his nearly
22 years of incarceration and expenses in trying to prove his innocence; and
WHEREAS,
the conviction, incarceration, and subsequent loss of liberty and other damages
occurred through no fault or negligence on the part of Mr. Williams, and it is
only fitting and proper that he be compensated for his loss.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA that the Department
of Administrative Services is authorized and directed to pay the sum of $1.2
million to Mr. Willie Otis "Pete" Williams as compensation as provided above.
Said sum shall be paid from funds appropriated to or available to the Department
of Administrative Services and shall be in full and complete satisfaction of all
claims against the state arising out of said occurrence. Said sum shall not be
subject to state income taxes and shall be paid in the form of an annuity over a
20 year period of time with an initial lump sum payment of $100,000.00. Said
sum shall be conditioned on the fact that Mr. Willie Otis "Pete" Williams shall
not be convicted of a felony after the effective date of this resolution. If
Mr. Williams is convicted of a felony during the period of time he is receiving
payments pursuant to this resolution, he shall forfeit any rights to any
remaining balance of the sum to which he was otherwise entitled pursuant to this
resolution.