Lawyers seeking life sentence for man condemned to die 20 years ago

TEXARKANA, Ark. (AP) — Lawyers for a man sentenced to die for killing a farmer in southwest Arkansas more than 20 years ago are asking that he get life in prison instead because he has a mental disability.

The Texarkana Gazette reports that Frank Williams Jr.’s case is back in trial court after the Arkansas Supreme Court ordered a new penalty hearing, cit- ing problems with his original sentencing.

Williams, 47, was found guilty of capital murder in 1993 for the 1992 death of farmer Clyde Spence in Lafayette County.

California psychologist Ricardo Weinstein testified this week that Williams is mentally disabled.

A jury of nine women and three men will determine whether Williams should receive a new sen- tence of life without parole instead of death by lethal injection.

State and federal laws prohibit the death penalty for offenders who are mentally disabled.

The jury heard last week from police who were involved in the first investigation into Spence’s death and from people who witnessed the shooting.

Witnesses said Williams was angry at Spence for firing him from his job after Williams purposely damaged a tractor. Williams had been released from prison and Spence sponsored his job as part of a program that allowed inmates to work in the community. A firing could have sent Williams back to jail.

The case was moved to Miller County from Lafayette County because of pretrial publicity.