|
|
|
||
|
Montgomery Advertiser WETUMPKA -- A sentencing date has been set for the co-defendant in a high profile Elmore County capital murder case.
Williams initially was indicted on capital murder charges in the Aug. 29, 2007, slaying of James Bryan Martin, a young Millbrook father of two. Williams pleaded guilty to felony murder in the case June 22, just before the capital murder trial of Calvin McMillan, 20, of Opelika was set to begin. Williams has remained in the Autauga County Jail, under no bond, since his arrest the day after the murder, jail records show.
Williams' testimony during the trial was a key factor in gaining the conviction, District Attorney Randall Houston said. "RonDarrell Williams was able to place Calvin McMillan at the scene, and was able to tell the jury what occurred that night in the Wal-Mart parking lot," Houston said. "RonDarrell Williams owned up to his role in this senseless act. I think the jury found his testimony very credible." Houston explained that felony murder charges are brought when a person is involved in a murder, but the person's actions didn't directly result in the murder. "RonDarrell Williams didn't pull the trigger and end Bryan Martin's life, Calvin McMillan did," the prosecutor said. "But it was RonDarrell that drove Calvin McMillan to Millbrook that night. He has to pay for what he did." Martin, 23, was shot and killed in the Millbrook Wal-Mart parking lot about 10:40 p.m. He had attended a Montgomery Biscuits game that night, and had stopped by the store to pick up diapers and some other items on the way home. Williams testified that he drove McMillan to Millbrook from Montgomery that night, thinking McMillan was going to "peel a ride" or steal a vehicle. "RonDarrell never thought that somebody was going to be hurt, injured or killed," said Chip Cleveland, his attorney. "He never believed Calvin McMillan would go through with it. But he realizes this occurred on his dime, and that he played a role in James Bryan Martin's death. "He's ready to accept his punishment for whatever role he played in aiding and abetting this tragic act." When a firearm is used in a felony murder charge, the punishment range is a minimum of 20 years and up to 99 years to life in prison, Houston said. During McMillan's trial, his defense attorneys tried to convince the jury that Williams had cut a deal for his testimony, to have the capital murder charge dropped. There was no deal, said Cleveland, whose law office is in Prattville. "We entered into a blind plea, with no sentencing recommendation from the DA's office," Cleveland said. "It's going to be up to the judge, and the judge alone, to determine what his sentence will be." Bush is scheduled to sentence McMillan on Aug. 7. Bush can either accept the jury's recommendation of life in prison without the possibility of parole or override it and hand down the death penalty. |
||||
|
Back |
||||
