[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS

[Rick Halperin]

June 22



TEXAS:

Attorney appointed for suspect in Commerce double homicide


An attorney specializing in death penalty capital murder cases has been 
appointed for a San Marcos man charged in connection with the deaths of a 
mother and daughter near Commerce.

Meanwhile a benefit account has been established to assist with the funeral 
arrangements for the victims in the case.

Tyrone Jamaal Williams, 30, remains in the custody of the Hunt County Detention 
Center, being held in lieu of $1 million bond on a charge of capital murder of 
multiple persons. Williams had filed a writ of habeas corpus from the jail, 
seeking the appointment of an attorney.

During a Tuesday morning hearing in the 354th District Court, Judge Richard A. 
Beacom appointed an attorney from the West Texas Regional Public Defender for 
Capital Cases program to represent Williams on the writ. No additional hearings 
were immediately scheduled.

Williams is charged in the June 17 murders of Nichole Elizabeth Gonzales, 27, 
and her mother Vicki Ann Gonzales, 51.

Williams was reportedly the estranged boyfriend of Nichole Gonzales and they 
were the parents of 2 small children who were also found inside the residence 
where the murders occurred. The children were unharmed.

The Commerce Police Department reported Tuesday that a viewing for the Nichole 
and Vicki Gonzales is scheduled from 5-7 p.m. and a vigil from 7:30-8 p.m. 
Friday at Jones- Walker & Son, 1209 Live Oak Street in Commerce. The funeral 
home is also accepting donations for the family between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. 
weekdays.

Hunt County has been a part of the West Texas Regional Public Defender for 
Capital Cases program since 2012.Each participating county agrees to pay a 
yearly fee, based on its population and the number of capital murder cases it 
has filed within the last 10 years. The cost of the program to Hunt County is 
on a sliding scale, with the costs rising each year to a maximum of $108,000.

There are some limitations to the program. In the event 2 people are charged 
with capital murder and are facing the death penalty in the same case, the 
office could only defend one of them. The office also doesn't handle the 
appeals of any convictions, nor does it pay for "2nd chair" defense attorneys, 
both of which would be still be paid for through the county. The office also 
does not handle capital murder cases where the death penalty is not being 
sought.

(source: Herald-Banner)