BALTIMORE (AP) — A man convicted of killing a Baltimore police officer and shooting several other officers will get a new trial more than four decades later.
The Baltimore Sun reports 59-year-old John Earl Williams will get a new trial under the Unger ruling of 2012, which questioned the fairness of jury instructions in trials before 1980.
The then 18-year-old Williams allegedly wanted to impress his ex-girlfriend when he called Baltimore police to state his plans for Good Friday in 1976. Williams is accused of loading a rifle with armor-piercing bullets, killing the officer and shooting five other officers before surrendering after a 40-minute barrage. The shooting became known as the “Good Friday Shooting.”
Williams remains in prison, and his new trial is scheduled for Jan. 8.
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Information from: The Baltimore Sun, http://www.baltimoresun.com
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