Time may be running out for Stanley Tookie Williams, unless California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger has a sudden change of heart. While California Supreme Court denied his stay, there may be one last hope for Williams, whose execution is scheduled for early Tuesday.
Last minute efforts, made by Williams' supporters, revealed a new witness that may help tip the scales towards innocence. Statements from the witness were sent to Schwarzenegger's office, and a decision for clemency will be final by Monday.
The evidence reportedly came from a former Los Angeles county jail inmate who says he can back up Williams' allegation that he was framed by police working with a jailhouse informant. The inmate reportedly said he saw officers deliver police reports about Williams' case to George Oglesby, an inmate who later testified against the gang leader. The informant said he didn't come forward until now because he didn't know until last week that Oglesby had testified in Williams' trial. See mtv.com.
Many famous names have joined forces in support of Tookie, who despite a criminal record has turned his life around on death row. Get the details here.
Among Tookie's many supporters who have joined the NAACP, Foxx, Snoop Dogg and others in asking Gov. Schwarzenegger for clemency is Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the ex-wife of former South African president Nelson Mandela. She met face to face with Williams in San Quentin several years ago, and requested a meeting with Gov. Schwarzenegger during a recent visit to the U.S. to discuss clemency for Tookie - but the request was denied.
"I regret very much that a man who has wined and dined with comrade [Nelson] Mandela in his house would react in this manner," Madikizela-Mandela said in Johannesburg. "We entertained him in his country. I thought he would have at least a tinge of conscience."
If Schwarzenegger grants clemency, Williams' death sentence would be commuted to life in prison without parole. Stay in touch, to find out Tookie's fate.