Tony Williams to be Sentenced Tuesday

... A Baltimore City jury had convicted Williams February 10, 1999 of first-degree murder and use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence for the death of Dana Rochelle Drake, 33, and Williams began serving a life plus 20 years prison term. On April 14, 2006 the Maryland Court of Appeals vacated Williams' conviction, citing evidentiary issues regarding a discovery violation under the Brady law. The Court ruled that encompassing or exculpatory information known to any prosecutor in the State's Attorney’s Office must be turned over to the defense. At issue in this case was a witness who was in jail with the defendant; the trial prosecutor in 1999 did not know, and therefore did not disclose, this witness was at one point in time a paid police informant.

On February 21, 1998 at approximately 4:30 a.m. Williams went to the apartment of Dana Drake, located at 800 Dartmouth Road and shot her once in the back of the head with a .22 caliber handgun. Evidence produced at trial showed Williams had purchased a .22 caliber handgun several weeks prior to this murder and testimony revealed Williams stood to receive $100,000 from a life insurance policy. Assistant State’s Attorney Thomas Rafter of the Homicide Division prosecuted the case.