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| Terminally ill inmate up for parole will have second hearing |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 08/25/2003 |
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A convicted killer whose prostate cancer helped convince Louisiana's Pardon Board to recommend immediate parole is not as sick as he and doctors' reports said, according to the prison's medical director. Willie Lee William's cancer hasn't begun to spread and isn't terminal, Dr. Alan Perego of Dixon Correctional Institute told the state Parole Board. Moreover, he said, there was no medical reason for Williams to be in a wheelchair when he spoke to the Pardon Board in June. 'He is not confined to a wheelchair. There are no limitations to his activity,' Perego said. Pardon Board Chairman Irvin Magri, reached afterward, fumed. 'We were obviously lied to. He said, `I have six months to live.' I want a full explanation,' Magri said. The hearing was expected to be routine, with the Parole Board accepting the Pardon Board's recommendation and Gov. Mike Foster's decision to grant clemency - the only time Foster has done so for a killer. Those arguing for Williams' release have said he will not be a threat to society and should be allowed to live his final days with his family in Mississippi instead of behind bars. Because of an unrelated technical error, the Pardon Board will get a second chance to hear Williams' case and decide if he actually is terminally ill. Perego's report visibly stunned the three Parole Board members. They promptly cleared the room and later told reporters not to publish information about Williams' health, saying it was confidential and should not have been part of the public hearing. Williams, 77, has served 33 years of a life sentence for the 1969 murder and robbery of Bernard Robin, a grocery store owner in New Orleans. Pardon Board members voted 5-0 in June to make him eligible for parole, based partly on two reports from doctors at Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans, who said Williams doesn't have long to live. Board member Julia Sims said the board took the doctors' reports at face value. 'We based our decision on those reports,' Sims said. 'Maybe we shouldn't have.' Both said Williams and the doctors will have to explain his condition to the board. No date for that hearing has been set. Pardon Board members have said releasing a terminally ill inmate from prison and allowing him to move in with his family would save the state money without endangering the public. The governor's office will investigate the case, said Patrick Martin, an attorney for the governor. 'I'm going to find out what happened and what his medical condition really is,' he said. |
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