Texas murder suspect plotted revenge for a year, prosecutors say

By Lisa Maria Garza ROCKWALL, Texas (Reuters) - A former justice of the peace in Texas plotted his revenge for a year before gunning down the men who had prosecuted him for theft and ruined his career, prosecutors said Monday at the start of his capital murder trial. Eric Williams, 47, stands accused of killing three people, including two prosecutors, in suburban Dallas last year. Williams, a former Kaufman County justice of the peace and attorney, is charged in the shooting deaths of District Attorney Mike McLelland, his wife, Cynthia, and Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse in early 2013. Williams pleaded not guilty on Monday morning in a Rockwall courtroom a few minutes before opening statements began. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. McLelland and Hasse had prosecuted Williams for the theft of office computer monitors. His conviction cost him his job and law license. Hasse was fatally shot outside the Kaufman County Courthouse on Jan. 31, 2013. The McLellands were killed in their home on March 30, 2013. Williams' wife, Kim, also is charged with capital murder and will be tried separately. In his opening statement before a packed courtroom, prosecutor Bill Wirskye said Williams began plotting his revenge in March 2012 on the men who had "prosecuted, convicted and stood up in a court of law and sought justice." Wirskye said prosecutors will present a staggering amount of evidence including Williams' purchase of a getaway vehicle and a "treasure trove" of items used in the killings that were found in a storage rental unit. Wirskye told jurors Williams broke into the McLelland's home and killed Cynthia McLelland in a "blizzard of bullets" from an AR-15 assault rifle to eliminate a witness, then opened fire on Mike McLelland. The defense did not make an opening statement. The shootings took place in Kaufman County, about 30 minutes southeast of Dallas. Williams was granted a change of venue to nearby Rockwall County because of the extensive media coverage. The court began screening thousands of potential jurors back in March. Special prosecutors from Dallas were appointed to the case. Before opening statements, lawyers for Williams asked that jurors be questioned about the CBS show "Criminal Minds," which aired an episode in November that included a reference to Williams as the killer of two prosecutors. Dallas County Judge Mike Snipes asked every juror about their television viewing history and none had seen the episode. (This version of the story corrects the first paragraph to reflect prosecuted for theft, not jailed.) (Reporting by Lisa Maria Garza; Editing by Bill Trott and Eric Walsh)