Commonwealth v. Williams

OPINION

SAYLOR, Justice.

This is an appeal from an order of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County denying post-conviction relief in this capital case. We affirm in part, and remand for limited further proceedings.

On January 27, 1988, shortly after telling companions that, for no apparent reason, he would kill the first white man that he saw, Appellant Roy L. Williams (“Williams”) shot and killed James McDonnell, a Caucasian male who was a stranger to him. Williams then fled to Massachusetts, where he committed another criminal homicide and other violent crimes prior to being captured…