Convicted killer and former Kaufman County judge Eric Williams has laid out his federal argument for a new death penalty trial.
In a pleading that runs more than 160 pages, Eric Williams wants a federal judge to order a new trial on charges that he killed Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife Cynthia in 2013.
A jury in Rockwall County found Williams guilty in 2014 and sentenced the former judge to death. In his appeal, Williams raises a number of claims about the trial.
He says the defense did not have adequate time to prepare for the state's case which included 16 terabytes of information. He also says his defense team was ineffective, that the judge was biased, and that moving the trial from Kaufman County to Rockwall County did little to tamp down pre-trial publicity.
A federal judge will hear arguments next month.
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