Dorothy Williams (serial killer)
Dorothy Williams | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 12, 1954 Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | December 19, 2020 (aged 66) |
| Criminal status | Deceased |
| Children | 2 |
| Motive | Stealing money to support her heroin addiction |
| Conviction(s) | First degree murder (3 counts) Robbery |
| Criminal penalty | Death; commuted to life imprisonment |
| Details | |
| Victims | 3 |
Span of crimes | 1987–1989 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Illinois |
Date apprehended | September 6, 1989 |
Dorothy Williams (December 12, 1954 – December 19, 2020) was an American serial killer who killed three elderly people during robberies in Illinois between 1987 and 1990. A drug addict, Williams used the money she stole during the robberies to buy heroin. She also robbed five other elderly people.[1] Initially sentenced to death, her death sentence was commuted to life in prison without parole in 2003 when everyone on death row in Illinois had their sentences commuted by Governor George Ryan over his growing concerns with capital punishment in the state. Williams died in custody on December 19, 2020, at the age of 66, one week after her birthday. She had been serving her sentence at Logan Correctional Center.[2][3]
Williams strangled 79-year-old Lonnie Laws on December 5, 1987, stabbed 64-year-old Caesar Zurell to death in 1988, and strangled 97-year-old Mary Harris to death on July 25, 1989.
References in popular culture[edit]
Williams's story was featured on the Investigation Discovery program Deadly Women as the third and final case of the episode "Death Knock".
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ O'Connor, Matt (April 19, 1991). "2ND WOMAN SENTENCED TO DEATH ROW". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
- ^ O'Connor, Matt (March 13, 1991). "WOMAN IS CONVICTED IN STRANGLING AT CHA". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
- ^ "The Dead: 2010 – 2021 | Illinois Deaths in Custody Project". ildeathsincustody.org. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
- 1954 births
- 2020 deaths
- 20th-century American criminals
- American female serial killers
- American people convicted of murder
- American people who died in prison custody
- American prisoners sentenced to death
- People convicted of murder by Illinois
- Prisoners sentenced to death by Illinois
- Prisoners who died in Illinois detention
- Recipients of American gubernatorial clemency
- Serial killers from Illinois
- Serial killers who died in prison custody
- Women sentenced to death