State seeks death penalty for Williams

MOUNT DORA, FLA. — The state is seeking the death penalty for Vickie Williams for stabbing to death a couple in their home. One requirement stands out: She once was convicted of a violent felony, and it was with a knife.  

The details of that 2002 conviction in Ohio are not clear, but it involved some kind of dispute with another woman and she was also charged with damaging the windshield of the woman’s car. It seems obvious the other woman was not injured, at least not seriously because Williams was placed on community control probation.

Twenty years later, after a string of other crimes like theft, trespassing and larceny, she faces two counts of first-degree murder and the theft of Darryl and Sharon’s car on Dec. 31, 2022. Police tracked her from the couple’s retirement community to Savannah.

Prosecutors have listed four other statutory aggravating circumstances in the murder trial underway this week.

• The crime was committed during the commission of a robbery.
• It was committed for financial gain.
• It was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel.
• The victims were particularly vulnerable due to advanced age or disability. Darryl was 83 years old, Sharon was 80. 

One glimpse of the crime scene photos and it’s hard to believe that jurors won’t agree with the prosecutors, but her attorneys say she is not-guilty by reason of insanity.

Jurors viewing body camera video of a detective opening the door to their retirement community home heard the officer say, “Shit!” He closed the door to preserve the scene and asked security staff if there was a key to the back door, where more carnage was visible.

Both had been stabbed more than 10 times, according to a medical examiner. It was during her testimony that Assistant Public Defender Morris Carranza asked if she could determine how long the victims remained conscious. She said there was no way to tell.

That could be a bit of an argument against the heinous, atrocious and cruel standard, if the defense can convince jurors that they might have been killed instantly.

She was captured in the Getman’s car in Savannah, Ga. She was also charged with the theft of the car and she obviously had no business being in the couple’s Waterman Village home. She was also in possession of Sharon’s jewelry, purse and other items.

In arguing for the insanity defense, her attorneys say she was under an extreme emotional disturbance, and she did not recognize the wrongdoing or the consequences. She suffers from a number of mental illnesses, her lawyers say.

Testimony is scheduled to continue this week.

Williams could be sentenced to die if at least eight of the 12 jurors vote for it and the judge agrees.

There are currently 235 inmates on death row, but only one woman. Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed 18 death warrants this year.