Darr Williams

Written by Darr’s friend Barbara

In January of 1991, one month before his 21st birthday, Darr Williams and four other young men were involved in a shooting that left two men dead. Although Mr. Williams was one of the four young men involved in the shooting, he was the only person prosecuted for the crime. He was acquitted of intentional murder, but under an alternative theory of acting in concert, he was convicted of depraved indifference murder. In the 90’s to insure a conviction, prosecutors in New York were improperly charging individuals with depraved indifference murder. According to Court of Appeals Justice Rosenblatt, this was improper. Mr. Williams was a victim of what courts later deemed “a fundamental misunderstanding of the depraved indifference murder statute.” (Carter, 100) As a result he was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison.

Mr. Williams, is a first time felony offender who has served 33 years of his sentence, and is now 54 years old. He has extraordinary support from family, friends, prison administrators, work supervisor, and correction officers who have come to know him over the years. Mr. Williams was illiterate when he entered prison at age 21, and has learned to read, earned his GED, graduated from Ulster Community College in 2022, and is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree from Mt. Saint Mary College, (projected graduation May 2024). Mr. Williams, is the father of two children, his son Ramel (34) and his daughter LaQuita (32). Mr. Williams is actively involved in his children's lives, and has been throughout his incarceration.

In addition, Mr. Williams has seized every opportunity to work–holding positions in the food and human service field for the past 20 years–and every opportunity to learn and improve himself. He has completed more than 85 training’s in HIV/AIDS Health Awareness, community based organizations, counseling/supervision, staged based behavior counseling, and domestic violence. Further, he has compiled an extraordinary record of achievements in prison. Mr. Williams demonstrates an eagerness and aptitude to serve as a leader and mentor. Ten out of the past twenty years he has served as the program director for Prisoners for AIDS Counseling and Education (PACE). As the director he supervises fourteen facilitators and creates programs for the group. Additionally, he provides education, counseling, and support, while facilitating classes to incarcerated men on the health risks of HIV/AIDS, and other communicable diseases.

Mr. Williams has counseled more than 7,750 at-risk youth in the past fifteen years through the Youth Assistance Program (YAP). Where he is able to draw from both his own experience and what he has learned by completing extensive training programs. He is ready to re-enter society and make a positive contribution. Transformation requires exceptionalism in thought, an action that cultivates change which transcends character. His selfless contributions to help educate others with live-saving information speaks aloud. Decades of incarceration has not made him stagnant nor bitter. It has prepared him to be a productive member of society making him an ideal candidate for a second chance at life. He has taken full responsibility for his conduct and expressed deep remorse for his actions.

Read a feature on Darr Williams by the Legal Aid Society here