The Mississippi Supreme Court has ordered a new trial for a Yazoo County woman convicted of manslaughter last year in the stabbing death of her father.
The court appealed the manslaughter conviction of Courtney Williams, who was convicted in 2021 in the stabbing death of her father, James Williams. She was sentenced to 20 years, with 15 years to serve. However, she appealed, arguing that "the trial court erred by refusing certain jury instructions and the trial court erred by denying her motion for judgement notwithstanding the verdict."
Last week, the State Supreme Court has reversed Williams' conviction and sentencing, ordering for a new trial.
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"Courtney Williams appeals her manslaughter conviction," the court states. "Because the trial court erroneously refused Courtney's proposed jury instructions related to her right to stand her ground, her conviction and sentence are reversed, and the case is remanded for a new trial."
According to the court's records, James Williams was found dead inside his vehicle outside of his home. Autopsy reports said his "cause of death was stabbing of the torso and that the manner of death was homicide."
Court records state that James Williams, his pregnant daughter Courtney Williams, and Courtney’s two children lived with James Williams at his residence. James Williams had recently allowed Courtney Williams’ boyfriend, Cymonde “CJ” Sailer, to move in with them.
On the night of Sept. 1, 2019, records state that an argument between James Williams and Courtney Williams occurred, stemming from a disagreement over sleeping arrangements.
“During the altercation, Courtney stabbed James twice in the back,” court records said. “When law enforcement officers arrived, Courtney advised that her father had attacked her and that she had stabbed her father in the back.”
Courtney Williams was indicted and charged with first-degree murder. During trial testimony, “according to both Courtney and CJ, during the argument, James choked Courtney,” according to court records. During the altercation between James Williams and Sailer, “Courtney went into the kitchen and grabbed a knife. She then went back to the bedroom and stabbed James twice in the back while James was on top of CJ.”
Courtney Williams admitted to stabbing James Williams but testified that “she did so in self defense of herself and others.”
After the trial in April of 2021, Courtney Williams was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to serve 15 years in a state correctional facility.
Courtney Williams then appealed her manslaughter conviction, stating that “she is entitled to instructions that support her theory of the case. She claims that the trial court’s failure to give the instructions undermined her defense.”
“The record reflects that Courtney was not the initial aggressor,” court records state. “Both Courtney and CJ testified that James attacked Courtney. James and Courtney had an argument over CJ’s sleeping in Courtney’s bedroom. Although words were exchanged between both Courtney and James, it was James who first attacked Courtney by choking her. The record further reflects that Courtney was not engaged in unlawful activity and that she had a right to be in the home. Courtney testified that she lived with her father at her father’s house. She explained that although James owned the house, she paid rent and had lived in the house since it was built. Thus, under Section 97-3-15(4), it appears the jury should have been instructed that Courtney had ‘no duty to retreat before using defensive force’ but, instead, had the right to stand her ground.”
“The jury should have been instructed that Courtney had no duty to retreat and that she had the right to stand and fight if she reasonably believed that she or others were in danger of death or great bodily harm,” the record continues. “When read together as a whole, the instructions do not fairly announce the law of the case and create an injustice.”
Yazoo County Robert Coleman said the new trial is anticipated to be held in the upcoming November court term.
