In re Williams CA4/3
“A person unlawfully imprisoned or restrained of their liberty . . . may prosecute a writ of habeas corpus to inquire into the cause of the imprisonment or restraint.” (Pen. Code, § 1473, subd. (a), italics added.) A person may prosecute a writ when: “New evidence exists . . . of such decisive force and value that it would have more likely than not changed the outcome at trial.” (§ 1473, subd. (b)(3)(A), italics added.)
In 1999, William Blaine Williams was sentenced to 25 years to life under the former “Three Strikes” law, based on nonviolent drug convictions. Williams filed petitions for resentencing in 2013 (Proposition 36) and 2014 (Proposition 47).
In 2016, the trial court presided over a consolidated evidentiary hearing. During the hearing, the district attorney presented evidence Williams had stabbed his fellow inmate Edward Rose on July 20, 2010.
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