Post Script

Post Script

            As of now, no final verdict has been reached on Williams. An emotional plea was heard yesterday as Williams begged for his own life. “Talia deserved a better father than me,” Williams stated. From reports, he was emotionally distraught, tearing up and sniffling throughout his testimony. “Instead of helping and protecting Talia, I hurt and I killed her.”

            While I was not present for these proceedings, a more personal tone seems to have taken over. Facts are sidelined as something almost more real takes over, the fact that jurors and fellow human beings must decide on the life of Williams. He is already guilty, he is already eligible for death. All that comes now is subjective conversations and discussions.

 His surviving son and daughter testified in court, explaining how they speak with him on the phone several times a month and exchange emails. He asks them what they want for Christmas or about the current games in the NBA. He has conversations that any father has with his children. Despite the distance and the incarceration, the children feel a connection with their father. “I love my dad,” his son said, crying. “I really need him.”

Williams’s younger stepsister also testified, again through a stream of tears. She discussed how his stepfather abused him as a child because he was not his biological son. When asked if Williams still has a place in her life, she replied, “He does… He’s my brother, He's my friend and he's been a confidant for me. He's been a pillar of support in everything I've done. ... He's been there without judgment or ridicule. When I think of him he just makes my heart smile. I love him so much."

Other peers of Williams testified, including a colleague in the Army who said, “He was creased up, boots shined. He was good.” His aunt stated how her brother, his stepfather “acted as if he hated that child,” also including, “His life means everything to me.” A cousin simply stated, “Even though this happened, I can’t stop loving him.”

Apparently jurors did not react much to the testimonies. Maybe these opinions are irrelevant to them. They could have their minds set already as to whether or not to put him to death. Maybe they don’t want to be emotionally involved in this case, with testimonies like these not helping. I can’t blame them, after all, given that they are regular people chosen at random to decide to kill a man or not. It’s quite a job to ask of someone.

The hardest part for me would be the testimonies from his children. They both claimed to “need” him to some capacity in their lives. Talia needed her father and he failed her. Does that mean that we should deprive two other humans of their need for someone else? I’m glad this decision is not mine.

Works Cited

Cave, James. "Naeem Williams Apologizes To Jury For Killing Daughter."The

            Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 04 June 2014. Web. 05 June 2014.

Kelleher, Jennifer Sinco. "Family, Friends Recount Ex-Hawaii Soldier's Life."ABC

            News. ABC News Network, 30 May 2014. Web. 05 June 2014.