Jacqueline Williams

Case overview

Jacqueline Annette Williams was sentenced to death on May 11, 1998, for the murder of Debra Evans and the murders of Debra Evans’ two children, Samantha and Joshua, in Addison (DuPage County). The conviction involved the killing of Debra Evans, the killing of her 10-year-old daughter Samantha, and the killing of her 7-year-old son Joshua. Prosecutors also alleged that Williams and her co-offenders cut a nearly full-term fetus from Debra Evans’ body.

Timeline

• November 16, 1995 — Debra Evans was fatally shot and stabbed in the Addison apartment where she lived with James Edwards and her children Samantha, Joshua, and Jordan; Debra was nine months pregnant and carried Elijah Evans, who was cut from her womb; Samantha was killed in the apartment; Joshua and Elijah Evans were taken from the apartment; Jordan was left alone in the apartment with his dead mother and sister.
• November 17, 1995 — Police found Joshua’s dead body in an alley in Maywood.
• November 17, 1995 — When police arrested Williams, she was holding Elijah, who was still alive.
• November 18, 1995 — Williams signed a written statement admitting a greater role in the murders and kidnappings of members of the Evans family.
• March 1998 — A DuPage County jury deliberated two hours before convicting Williams of the slayings of Debra Evans and her two children, as well as helping to cut the baby from Evans’ womb.
• May 11, 1998 — The court sentenced Williams to death.
• 2003 — Gov. George Ryan commuted the death sentences of all condemned inmates in Illinois to life in prison without parole.
• October 12, 2000 — The Illinois Supreme Court filed its opinion in The People of the State of Illinois, Appellee, v. Jacqueline Annette Williams, Appellant.

The offence

On November 16, 1995, Debra Evans was fatally shot and stabbed in the Addison apartment where she lived with James Edwards and her children: Samantha, age 10, Joshua, age 7, and Jordan, almost 2 years old. Debra was nine months pregnant and was scheduled to enter the hospital on Sunday, November 19, to have labor induced. The baby she was carrying, Elijah Evans, was cut from her womb. Samantha was killed in the apartment with her mother. Joshua and Elijah were taken from the apartment, and Jordan was left alone in the apartment with his dead mother and sister.

According to prosecutors, to eliminate witnesses, the attackers also murdered Evans’ daughter Samantha and Evans’ son Joshua. The newborn boy, Elijah, survived. Another child, Jordan, was spared and left alone in the apartment with the bodies of his mother and sister for several hours.

The Illinois Supreme Court opinion described the scene and later recovery events: the day after Debra’s and Samantha’s murders, police found Joshua’s dead body in an alley in Maywood. When police arrested Williams on November 17, Williams was holding Elijah, who was still alive.

Investigation and evidence

Police received a 911 emergency call at about 2:11 a.m. on November 17 from James Edwards, Evans’ live-in boyfriend, who had arrived home from work. When paramedics arrived with patrol officers, they found Debra Evans’ body face up in the living room, between a large chair and a coffee table. Debra had suffered a gunshot wound to the back of the head and numerous puncture wounds at the base of her neck. A horizontal wound was inflicted just below her navel and part of the umbilical cord was protruding. Blood was splattered on a nearby chair, the walls, and along the hall leading to the bedrooms. Blood was detected in the sink and floor of the bathroom.

When investigators entered the southeast bedroom, they found Samantha’s body in her pajamas on a sleeping bag. Samantha had suffered puncture wounds to the neck, and investigators found half of a pair of scissors nearby.

Findings and locations

Authorities described that no signs of forced entry were observed. Windows and doors of the apartment showed no signs of forced entry. Police found an emissions test notice addressed to Debra Evans on a hutch in the living room. The State’s fingerprint expert opined that a fingerprint on the emissions test notice matched Williams.

In the master bedroom, police discovered an Ace bandage soaked in blood next to a bloodstain on the bed. In Williams’ Schaumburg townhouse, police found a knife in the dishwasher that Williams had identified in her written statement as the weapon used to kill Joshua. In a garbage bag in the garage, police found a white coaxial cable. There was a bed and scarf in the laundry area and a pool of blood on the floor of the back seat of the gray car in the garage.

Autopsy and forensic evidence

An inquest formally found a cause of death and certified homicide. The inquest included testimony that Debra Evans died from a gunshot wound before her assailants cut a healthy, full-term fetus from her womb.

Dr. Joseph Cogan performed an autopsy on Joshua. He stated that Joshua’s injuries indicated strangulation. The marks appeared to be from some sort of cord wrapped around his neck two times. There were several stab wounds to Joshua’s neck. Joshua had no defensive wounds. Cogan found evidence of aspiration, described as evidence that Joshua had inhaled his own vomit. Cogan testified that the stab wounds occurred while Joshua was still alive; the strangulation preceded the stab wounds, and the aspiration occurred after he was stabbed. Cogan opined that Joshua died from multiple injuries including strangulation, stab wounds, and aspiration of stomach contents, and that Joshua would not have died instantaneously from the injuries but would not have lived for more than 30 minutes.

Dr. Shaku Teas testified concerning the autopsies performed on Debra’s and Samantha’s bodies. Samantha had seven stab and incised wounds on her neck and incised wounds to her left arm; the cause of Samantha’s death was multiple stab wounds. For Debra, Dr. Teas testified that a bullet entered the back of her head and traveled through the right side of her brain to the area behind her forehead. Debra had four incised wounds to her neck and a 13-inch gaping wound from one side to the other of her abdomen. Dr. Teas testified that Debra’s uterus had been sliced open and the placenta and umbilical cord, which had been cut with a sharp instrument, remained in the uterus, but there was no fetus. Some intestines near the uterus had also been cut. Dr. Teas testified that the temporal order of Debra’s wounds could not be determined from the autopsy alone. Dr. Teas opined that the main cause of Debra’s death was the gunshot wound and that multiple stab and incised wounds were contributing causes. Dr. Teas further opined that all stab and incised wounds to Samantha and Debra could have been caused by the poultry shears.

Dr. Christopher Olson, Debra’s obstetrician and gynecologist, testified about a Caesarean, stating that three persons are required to deliver a child when a Caesarean is performed appropriately. He stated that if a horizontal incision is made, more than two hands are needed. He also testified that it was unlikely that the incision used to remove the baby from Debra’s uterus could have been accomplished by one person. He stated that for a fetus to survive, it would have to be removed from a nonbreathing mother within two to three minutes. He opined that Debra’s heart was beating when the baby was removed because the baby survived and because blood spatters around her body suggested a certain amount of blood pressure.

Evidence recovered in related locations

On November 18, police discovered a bloodstained bed sheet near the Baldwin Piano Company in Bellwood, seven blocks from the alley where Joshua’s body was left. Police found a matching sheet and pillowcase in Williams’ townhouse.

Biological evidence

The State’s serology expert testified that samples from the following items tested positive for human blood: the poultry shears, the bathroom vanity in the Addison apartment, the Ace bandage, the emissions test notice, the Grambling Tigers jacket, the bed sheet found by the piano company, and the carpet from the gray Sable.

A scarf was found in Williams’ townhouse; saliva was present on the scarf, although it could not be determined whether it was human.

The State’s DNA experts opined on blood origins: blood on the white cord from Williams’ garage belonged to Joshua; blood from the Addison apartment vanity belonged to Elijah; blood on the Grambling Tigers jacket belonged to both Elijah and Jordan; blood on the poultry shears belonged to Samantha; blood on the carpet of the gray Sable belonged to Joshua; and blood on the sheet recovered near the piano company belonged to Joshua. One State DNA expert testified that, in his opinion, Ward was the father of both Elijah and Jordan.

Arrest and custody

Police arrested Williams on November 17. At the time of the arrest, Williams was holding Elijah in an infant carrier. Caffey was wearing the Grambling Tigers jacket taken from the Addison apartment.

The Illinois Supreme Court opinion described that Edwards left for his job about 5:30 p.m. on November 16 and returned after leaving work at 2:30 a.m. Jordan met Edwards in the kitchen and was alive at that time. Edwards found Debra lying on the living room floor between a coffee table and a love seat, unresponsive with a large wound to her stomach. Samantha lay on the floor in the children’s bedroom, with her neck slashed, and Joshua was missing. Edwards called 911.

Interactions with police and statements

The Illinois Supreme Court opinion described police and prosecution testimony about Williams’ statements and conduct. In initial conversations with police and prosecutors, Williams minimized her role. During some conversations, she stated that Elijah was her son and that she had given birth at a friend’s house on November 16. She stated that Caffey was the baby’s father and that the baby’s name was Fedell Caffey, Jr. In other conversations, she told police that Caffey and Ward went to the Addison apartment to speak to Debra about the unborn baby and to teach Debra a lesson. She met them in an apartment building parking lot at about 10 p.m. on November 16. Caffey exited the building and handed a newborn baby to Williams.

She attributed much of the responsibility for Joshua’s kidnapping and murder to Scott and Caffey, including that Scott gave Joshua Visine and soda pop. She also said that Caffey and Scott wanted her to leave Joshua in the “projects” and that she could not, so she brought him to the Schaumburg townhouse. She also stated that Caffey was angry that she brought Joshua to the townhouse and asked her to get a knife. She said Caffey then instructed her and Scott to pull on the ends of a cord wrapped around Joshua’s neck and told her to drive to Maywood, where Caffey stabbed Joshua during the car ride. She further stated that after Joshua was left in an alley in Maywood, Scott threw a sheet out the car window as they drove by the Baldwin piano factory.

In a written statement she signed on November 18, Williams admitted a greater role. She stated that she and Caffey had been dating for two years and that throughout their relationship, they attempted to conceive a child. She stated that Caffey wanted a baby boy with light skin so the baby would resemble him. She stated that Ward was upset with Debra during the four months preceding the murders. On November 16, 1995, Ward, Caffey, and Williams drove to Debra’s apartment in a gray Sable because Ward wanted to talk to Debra about their son Jordan. Williams stated that they arrived at about 9 p.m., and Debra let them into the building and apartment. Debra sat on a small couch; Williams and Debra talked about their children. Williams stated that while Williams was in the bathroom, she heard a loud ringing noise and then exited to see Debra lying on her back with Caffey holding a small silver automatic gun and Ward standing beside Debra and appearing to be stabbing her in the neck. Williams stated that Caffey made a cut “crossways” on Debra’s abdomen with poultry shears and that she could see the head of a baby as he cut. She stated that Caffey pulled the baby from Debra and cut the umbilical cord while Williams stood next to him; she stated that Caffey did not want the baby because he thought he had killed the baby, but Williams still wanted the baby. She stated that she blew into the baby’s nose and mouth and that he began breathing. Williams stated that, after she dressed the baby in a sleeper, Caffey and Ward went into the children’s bedroom. Joshua ran from the bedroom crying that Caffey and Ward were hurting his sister, and Williams stated she covered Debra with a blanket. Williams stated that when Joshua saw his mother, he vomited and ran to the bathroom. Williams stated that she began to leave the apartment with the baby, and Joshua grabbed her legs and said he did not want to stay because Caffey and Ward were bad. Williams stated that she and Joshua exited the apartment through the back entrance and that Caffey and Ward joined them in the car. Williams stated that they drove to a location on Roosevelt Road where Ward exited, then Williams and Caffey drove to Scott’s where they left Joshua. She stated that she lied to Scott, telling Scott that Joshua’s mother had been shot at a “drug spot.” Williams stated that she and Caffey spent the night at the Schaumburg townhouse, where they washed some of the baby’s blood from a coat Caffey had stolen from the Addison apartment.

Williams’ statement also included actions after she returned to Scott’s apartment. She stated that on Friday morning she learned that Joshua had told Scott about the murders and that at that point they were “in deep trouble.” She stated she took Joshua to the Schaumburg townhouse and that Scott came with them so Scott could see her baby. She stated that Caffey and Ward were at the townhouse; that they were afraid Joshua would identify them; that Caffey told her to tie a scarf around Joshua’s mouth; that she tried to poison Joshua by having him swallow “antiseptic”; and that Caffey asked her to get a knife, which she did and which she gave to Caffey. Williams stated that Joshua was screaming and frightened, and that Scott was frightened because Caffey was threatening her. She stated they put Joshua in the car on the floor behind the driver’s seat, with Williams in the driver’s seat and Caffey in the back seat. She stated that Caffey wrapped a cord around Joshua’s neck several times and ordered defendant and Scott to pull on the ends of the cord, that Joshua was screaming, crying, and moaning, that the cord was dropped, and that Caffey began stabbing Joshua. Williams stated that she drove to Maywood, pulled into an alley, removed the sheet wrapped around Joshua, left him in the alley, and dumped the sheet at a piano company. She stated that she drove Scott to her apartment and that they killed Joshua because he knew who committed the murders.

Trial

Charges and co-defendants

In connection with the murders and kidnappings of members of the Evans family, Williams, her cousin Laverne Ward, and her boyfriend Fedell Caffey were jointly indicted on several counts of first degree murder and aggravated kidnapping. They were tried separately. Williams was convicted of the first degree murders of Debra, Samantha, and Joshua Evans. She was also convicted of aggravated kidnappings of Joshua and Elijah Evans.

Conviction and jury findings

A DuPage County jury found Williams guilty after deliberating two hours in March 1998. The jury also found Williams eligible for the death penalty. The jury returned eight separate eligibility verdicts. At a separate sentencing proceeding, the circuit court imposed kidnapping sentences: 15 years’ imprisonment for the aggravated kidnapping of Joshua Evans and a consecutive 15-year sentence for the aggravated kidnapping of Elijah Evans. The circuit court sentenced Williams to death for the first degree murders of Debra, Samantha, and Joshua Evans. The Illinois Supreme Court opinion noted that her death sentence was stayed pending direct review.

State’s evidence and witnesses described in the appellate opinion

James Edwards testified about coming home and finding Debra unresponsive and Samantha’s body in the bedroom and that Joshua was missing. Patrice Scott testified about events after Williams came to her Villa Park apartment. Scott testified that after Joshua awakened early on November 17, Joshua told her that his mother and sister were dead, that burglars had come through a window and cut his mother and sister, and that four burglars had come through the window and that he had hidden and ran out after defendant. Scott testified that Joshua repeated this story, identified the burglars as Annette, Fedell, Vern, and “Boo-Boo,” and that he told her to chain the door because the burglars might return. Scott testified that when defendant later returned, defendant became angry, cursed at Joshua, accused him of lying, and brought Joshua into the kitchen and gave him something after which he gagged and vomited. Scott testified that defendant later asked Scott to go with her to defendant’s house so defendant could give Scott baby outfits and that Scott agreed.

Scott’s testimony included events at the Schaumburg townhouse, including that Scott was taken to a bedroom where Caffey and a white baby boy with blond hair and tape on his stomach were on the bed, and that Joshua was taken into a laundry room where Scott testified that defendant wrapped a rope around Joshua’s neck and strangled him with Caffey. Scott testified that defendant then returned holding a knife behind her back and that Caffey stabbed Joshua while Scott watched. Scott testified that Williams and Caffey later left Maywood and returned without Joshua.

Dwight Pruitt’s testimony was described as mirroring Scott’s, including that he saw a television news story about the homicides in Addison around 11 a.m. on November 17 and that he attempted to call police but could not find a working telephone until after defendant left Scott around 12 p.m. Pruitt testified to his prior prison sentence for a weapons charge, that he was serving a prison sentence for a weapons charge, and that he was a gang member with previous convictions for armed robbery and unlawful possession of a controlled substance.

Quotations included in the appellate opinion

Prosecutor Jeff Kendall said:

“Somebody's lying, and it ain't that little boy,”

Prosecutor Jeff Kendall said:

“These horrific crimes are an Annette Williams production,”

Prosecutor Jeff Kendall continued:

“Annette Williams picked the day Elijah Williams would be born. She picked the day Debra Evans would die. She picked the day (Evans') daughter would die.”

The Illinois Supreme Court opinion also included a quotation from Williams during trial in which one of her lawyers turned to grab her shoulders after she said:

“So have you,”

Sentencing

Death penalty and kidnapping sentences

The circuit court sentenced Williams to 15 years’ imprisonment for the aggravated kidnapping of Joshua Evans and imposed a consecutive 15-year sentence for the aggravated kidnapping of Elijah Evans. The death sentence was stayed pending direct review.

Eligibility verdicts described

The jury found Williams eligible for the death penalty under various statutory aggravating factors for each murder:

• For Debra Evans’ murder: multiple-murder and felony-murder statutory aggravating factors.
• For Samantha Evans’ murder: multiple-murder and brutal and heinous murder of a child under 12 statutory aggravating factors.
• For Joshua Evans’ murder: multiple-murder, felony-murder, brutal and heinous murder of a child under 12, and murder of a witness statutory aggravating factors.

Aggravation and mitigation described

The appellate opinion described aggravation evidence including Williams’ criminal history involving theft by deception, retail theft, credit card fraud, theft based on possession of stolen jewelry and checks during burglaries around the Wheaton house she shared, and forged checks. It also described probation violations and remaining on probation in November 1995.

The appellate opinion described jail conduct including a comb fashioned into a shank found hidden in her cell and that she grabbed a shoulder of a sheriff’s deputy as he escorted another inmate. The opinion also described an application in Williams’ general assistance file and listed names and ages of her three children and a fourth child, Fedell, age one month.

Mitigation described included testimony about horseplay in which Ward told other inmates to stop or he would “f-- [them] up like [he] did that b-- in Addison.” It also included testimony about Ward’s desire for Debra’s unborn baby and that Debra was harassed by Ward and worried something was going to happen; it also included evidence about domestic violence between Williams and her boyfriends and testimony from psychologist Dr. Frank Cushing diagnosing major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and borderline personality disorder with dependent features, as well as a paranoid personality disorder with antisocial traits, with IQ assessed as 81.

Compulsion instruction issue

Williams argued that her counsel were ineffective for failing to request an instruction on the statutory mitigating factor of compulsion, but the appellate opinion rejected the claim. The appellate opinion described the compulsion statutory mitigating factor as requiring evidence that the defendant acted under compulsion of threat or menace of imminent infliction of death or great bodily harm. The appellate opinion concluded the evidence did not support such an instruction.

Appeals

Williams directly appealed her murder convictions and death sentence to the Illinois Supreme Court. The opinion was filed October 12, 2000, with Justice McMorrow delivering the opinion.

The appellate opinion addressed and rejected challenges including:

• A challenge to jury selection involving peremptory challenges and Witherspoon v. Illinois and related standards.
• A challenge to sufficiency of the evidence for the murders of Debra and Samantha.
• Evidentiary challenges regarding admission of Joshua’s statements, including under section 115-10 and spontaneous declaration exception to hearsay.
• A challenge to a limiting instruction regarding Scott’s identification of Bo Wilson.
• Challenges to eligibility verdicts and sentencing issues, including whether invalid statutory aggravating factors required resentencing.
• Challenges related to admission of the holiday basket application.
• Constitutional challenges to the Illinois death penalty statute, which the opinion said had previously been rejected.

Outcome of the appeal

The appellate opinion concluded: “For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the circuit court is affirmed.” It also directed that an order setting January 17, 2001 as the date the sentence of death entered by the circuit court of DuPage County should be carried out, and stated the defendant would be executed in the manner provided by law. The opinion also stated that the clerk would send a certified copy of the mandate to the Director of Corrections and the warden of the institution where defendant was confined.

Outcome

Williams remained convicted of the murders of Debra Evans, Samantha Evans, and Joshua Evans, and convicted of aggravated kidnappings of Joshua and Elijah Evans. Her death sentence was commuted in 2003 when Gov.