From: Platte County Prosecuting Attorney "Eric Zahnd"
Date: April 06, 2010
Subject: Murderer found guilty, again
A second Platte County jury has convicted a Kansas City man of murder and assault, eight years after the man was originally convicted. Cornelle D. Williams, 29, faces up to 45 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of shooting one man and firing two shots at another man, following a four-day retrial of a 2001 case.
Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd said, “This defendant murdered one man and shot at another, all because of a deal over four wheels and two tires. He thought the life of his victim would be the only price to pay for those wheels, but he will now pay a very steep price himself.”
Prosecutors proved at trial that Williams and his friend, Kevin Johnson, went to a Kansas City wheel and tire store on February 24, 2001, where they met Rusty Clinton, who was an employee. Clinton introduced Williams and Johnson to his best friend, who was at the store and trying to sell some used wheels. |
Williams' Weapon
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Cornelle Williams
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The four men then went to Clinton’s friend’s apartment to purchase the wheels for $300. However, evidence at trial showed that Williams knew Johnson did not intend to pay $300 for the wheels.
Once in the apartment, Williams shot Clinton in the face with a semi-automatic machine pistol and fired two shots at Clinton’s friend. Clinton died, and one of the shots tore through the T-shirt Clinton’s friend was wearing.
Williams and Johnson fled the apartment. Williams was found hours later, hiding in the closet of a relative’s apartment.
The jury recommended Williams spend up to 45 years in prison for second degree murder, first degree assault, and two counts of armed criminal action. He is scheduled to be sentenced in Platte County Circuit Court on May 20.
Johnson pled guilty to second degree robbery in 2002 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Williams was originally found guilty by a Platte County jury in 2002. Prosecutors were forced to retry the case after an appellate court found Williams’ attorney in the first trial ineffective.
Zahnd said, ”It is a shame Rusty Clinton’s family and friends had to suffer through the pain of another trial. The defendant claimed his previous lawyer was ineffective because the lawyer did not correctly pursue mental health evidence.“
”But everyone knew there was no mental health evidence to be presented in the retrial, meaning the victims of this crime never should have had to go through all of this again,“ Zahnd continued. ”It is a travesty for the appeals process to force a second trial when the defendant conceded there was no mental defense to present.“
The case was investigated by the Platte County Sheriff's Department, with assistance from the Kansas City Police Department. Zahnd and First Assistant Prosecutor Mark Gibson handled the jury trial.
Eric G. Zahnd
Platte County Prosecuting Attorney
415 Third Street
Suite 60
Platte City, Missouri 64079
(816) 858-3476
(816) 858-3472 (fax)
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