Eddie Williams was found guilty on all charges by a jury on June 13 after an almost week-long retrial in Lebanon County Court of Common Pleas.
It took a jury more than three hours on Friday, June 13, to convict Williams for the 2014 murder of Marcus Ortiz and the attempted murder of Keith Crawford. A jury originally convicted Williams in 2015 of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, robbery, unlawful possession of a firearm, and other crimes.
Lebanon County District Attorney Pier Hess Graf said this was the most labor-intensive retrial, due to both relearning everything from the first trial and being able to locate all the witnesses from years ago.
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It's been a decade," Graf said Friday. "People just move on, and even our former prosecutor, the person who first chaired this trial the last time, is no longer with us. There were just gaps between the length of time between trial one and trial two, but we started working on this the minute we thought this could be a retrial, and as a result it came together pretty seamlessly.
Williams did not speak after the verdict was rendered Friday. Jonathan Crisp, Williams' defense attorney, told reporters after that he had prepared his client that the verdict could come back as guilty.
Williams, his girlfriend Akeita Harden, and his cousin Rick Cannon plotted and planned to rob Crawford, their friend and a local drug dealer, according to the prosecution. Ortiz, 24, was gunned down in Crawford's 714 Fox Chase Lane apartment on March 10, 2014. Crawford suffered a gunshot wound to the brain but survived.
The defendants fled the scene and led a South Lebanon Police officer on a 100 mph chase that traveled through South Lebanon Township, Myerstown, and Lebanon city. a release from the Lebanon County District Attorney's office states. Williams was arrested months later in Philadelphia.
Prosecutors laid out their case for three days. that Williams murdered Marcus Ortiz and severely wounded Keith Crawford in a South Lebanon Township apartment. This included Crawford testifying about the extent of his injuries, and repeatedly announcing that "J.C.," a nickname for Williams, was the one who shot him in 2014.
While he could give yes or no responses, many of Crawford's responses in court were unintelligible, and he required the use of a computer and screens to type out his answers. Graf said that Crawford was evaluated by a psychiatrist in 2014 for the first trial, and added that the Williams defense team did not request a second competency hearing before the second trial began.
Crisp said that he confronted Crawford during cross-examination to demonstrate that his statements were inconsistent between the two trials.
I don't believe Mr. Crawford truly remembers what happened," Crisp said after the trial. "That is in no way to cast dispersions on the jury's verdict or the jury themselves.
Twice when he left the stand after testifying Tuesday, Crawford could be seen making spitting noises at Williams and stamping the ground forcefully with his cane as he passed the defense table. Graf said that physical reaction was just as telling as any testimony Crawford could provide.
There's a huge connection where when (Crawford) gets upset and has to look at Eddie Williams, there is such a physical visceral reaction to him," Graf said after the verdict. "I knew we needed Keith to get a conviction. It brought me no joy to put him on a witness stand and have to sit 20 feet away from the man who put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger.
The defense team for Williams said that the evidence, including testimony from the first trial, contained inconsistencies. The attorneys stated that the DNA evidence and witness testimony placed the firearm used in Cannon's hands, and that the prosecution failed to establish "an agreement to kill" Crawford and Ortiz.
On Friday, Williams' lawyers only called two witnesses before resting their case. This included Matthew Snavely, who was a resident in Crawford's complex, and testified that he saw Williams before the shooting walking back and forth outside from the apartment to the SUV. Snavely testified that he didn't remember Williams carrying anything in his hand at that time, but added that he did not witness the actual shooting or police chase.
Williams, Cannon, and Harden did not testify at any time in front of the jury during the retrial. Crisp said he had no intention of putting Harden or Crisp up on the stand during trial.
The district attorney's office reached out to both Cannon and Harden to testify, but Graf said that Cannon declined and Harden requested a deal through her lawyer.
"I believe very strongly in the power of a jury, and the verdict of a jury," Graf said. "The jury rendered a verdict against (Harden) of second degree homicide, which means life in prison. I'm not willing to cut her a deal simply to get a conviction on Eddie Williams. Because of that, she refused to testify."
Circumstances for a retrial
During the 2015 trial, Williams' lawyer argued that his client was innocent because his cousin had pleaded guilty. Then-District Attorney David Arnold objected and asked the judge to explain the cousin's plea.
The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania ruled in May 2022 with Williams on the grounds that Judge Samuel Kline was wrong to tell the jury that Cannon had confessed to all charges against him. This included the nine charges that named Williams as a co-conspirator.
The 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of appeals dismissed the Lebanon County District Attorney's Office appeal of the ruling.
<Cannon> pleaded guilty in 2015 to third-degree murder, attempted homicide, and other offenses. He was sentenced to 50 to 100 years in state prison. Harden was found guilty in 2015 of second-degree murder and other offenses, and received additional sentences totaling 4 and a half to 16 years on top of her life sentence for charges involving the high-speed chase.
Graf said that before Crisp and his team started representing Williams, some of his former attorneys reached out to the Lebanon County District Attorney's Office about a plea bargain before trial.
"They were begging us to cut a deal, and I thought, 'You know, the only thing better than getting that first degree verdict one time is getting it two times,'" she said.
Graf added that this is one of the last trials she worked on with former District Attorney Dave Arnold, who passed away in 2021 after battling brain cancer. So she believed she owed this conviction not only to Crawford and Ortiz, but to Arnold's memory as well.
"Because of that I'm so proud of this verdict, but there are so many different levels because of that," she said.
Crisp said that he had not spoken to Williams about an appeal of Friday's verdict, but said he would be surprised if his client decided not to.
Williams' new sentencing will be held before President Judge John C. Tylwalk at 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 13.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on Twitter at @DAMattToth.
This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Eddie Williams found guilty on all counts in retrial for 2014 South Lebanon Twp. homicide
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