Leslie Allen Williams

Case record: Leslie Allen Williams

Status and sentencing outcome

Leslie Allen Williams was sentenced to life in prison without parole on one count in 1992.

Background

Leslie Allen Williams of Detroit had a history of being paroled and sent back to prison over the last 20 years. Over the years, he received numerous breaks from the justice system, getting relatively light sentences or early paroles after guilty pleas on various charges of breaking and entering, rape and assault since 1971. His last sentencing was in 1983, when he threatened and abducted a woman, releasing her unharmed. He served seven years and was paroled in 1990.

Michigan Parole Board members were appointed by the state corrections director. Their salaries ranged from $63,000 to $68,000, and they served at the pleasure of the director. In 1990, the board considered more than 11,000 cases and paroled 8,888 offenders. Corrections officials said about 20 percent of those paroled ended up back in prison after new arrests, and another 20 percent returned because of parole violations.

The offence

Leslie Allen Williams confessed to abducting and killing four teen-age girls in southeastern Michigan, described as sexual attacks and a rape-slayer of teenage girls. He had threatened to rape and kill a 35-year-old woman before abducting her, and the confession led officials to their shallow graves in rural Oakland and Genesee counties, northwest of Detroit.

Three teen-age victims had been missing since last fall:

• Kami Villanueva, 18
• Melissa Urbin, 14
• Michelle Urbin, 16

The fourth victim disappeared in January:

• Cynthia Marie Jones, 15

Investigation

After Williams was arrested, police said he confessed to a series of sexual attacks and said he had kidnapped and killed four teen-agers. Officials located their shallow graves in rural Oakland and Genesee counties, both northwest of Detroit.

Arrest

Police said Leslie Allen Williams was arrested Sunday after abducting a 35-year-old woman whom he had threatened to rape and kill.

Trial

Williams was arraigned Friday for two of the slayings.

Sentencing

In 1983, Williams threatened and abducted a woman and released her unharmed. He was sentenced to concurrent terms of 5 to 10 years in prison for the assault and 7 to 30 years under the state's habitual offender law.

He was later sentenced to life in prison without parole on one count in 1992.

Appeals

No appeal information appeared in the provided material.

Outcome

Prison and legal status

Leslie Allen Williams received a sentence of life in prison without parole on one count in 1992.

Aftermath

Criticism of the parole system

The confession of Williams triggered criticism of Michigan's criminal justice system, particularly the parole board.

John Nichols, sheriff of Oakland County, criticized the parole release:

"Leslie Allen Williams represents a failure of this entire criminal justice system, particularly the parole system," said John Nichols, the sheriff of Oakland County. "Leslie Allen Williams never should have been on the street. Four young ladies are dead because of that."

Legislators and law-enforcement officials called for an overhaul of Michigan's parole system, saying Williams should not have been cycled through the system to prey on other people outside. Nichols said:

"People like this should not be cycled through the system, in and out, to prey on other people on the outside," Sheriff Nichols said.

George Ward, Wayne County's Chief Assistant Prosecutor, said Williams’s parole history was typical and criticized the parole board:

"The parole board represents the bureaucratic interests of emptying beds and not one of them represents the public safety interest," Mr. Ward said.

Changes suggested for parole board accountability

State legislators drafted legislation to make the parole panel more accountable. Under one plan described, the panel would be expanded to nine members, who would serve three-year terms upon appointment by the corrections director but would not be civil service employees, allowing the Governor to seek removal.

Parole board defense

Parole board members defended their decision to release Williams, saying they had no reason to keep him longer. Gail Light, a spokeswoman for the parole board, said:

"They looked at all the things they are supposed to consider and made the best decision based on all those factors," said Gail Light, a spokeswoman for the parole board.

Light said Williams had “positive” factors, including completion of his high school degree and work toward an associate degree, employment in a prison factory for five years, and participation in psychological therapy for 14 months:

Ms. Light said Mr. Williams had "positive" factors, including completion of his high school degree and work toward an associate degree, employment in a prison factory for five years and participation in psychological therapy for 14 months.

Statements from a victim’s family member

Patrick Urbin, whose two daughters' bodies were found in a shallow grave this week, criticized the early release:

"The system has failed us by letting this person out early," Mr. Urbin said. "He should be behind bars for the rest of his life."

Other details

Williams represented himself as a paroled rapist at the time of the confession, and the described motive was sex. The described method of committing the killings was “Rape-slayer of teenage girls.”