Kaufman County Murders: What happened to Eric Williams?

May 2024 ยท 3 minute read

A FORMER judge went on a killing spree when he lost his license to practice law.

Not only was Eric Lyle Williams convicted of theft but he was also found guilty of the Kaufman County Murders.

What happened to Eric Williams?

On May 24, 2011, Eric Williams was arrested for stealing computer monitors from a local county building.

On March 19, 2012, the former Kaufman County Justice of the Peace was convicted of theft charges, resigned from his position, and lost his license to practice law.

On April 18, 2013, Eric and his wife Kim Williams were arrested for the murders of Michael McLelland, Cynthia Woodward McLelland, and Mark Hasse.

On December 4, 2014, Eric was found guilty of capital murder and sentenced to death by lethal injection.

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On December 30 of the same year, his wife Kim was found guilty as well and sentenced to 40 years in prison after she agreed to a plea deal.

Eric remains incarcerated on death row in the Polunsky Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

What are the Kaufman County Murders?

The Kaufman County Murders refers to the shooting deaths of Michael McLelland, Cynthia McLelland, and Mark Hasse.

After months of investigations, police discovered the killing spree was carried out by Williams with assistance from his wife Kim.

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At the time of the homicides, Williams was out of jail and on probation.

On January 31, 2013, Hasse was found dead after he was gunned down while making his way from his car to the Kaufman County Courthouse.

Hasse, 57, was a chief assistant district attorney for the county.

Coincidentally, he was also a part of the prosecution in Williams' 2012 burglary trial.

On March 30, 2013, the lifeless bodies of 63-year-old Michael and his 65-year-old wife Cynthia were located at their home in Talty, Texas.

Similar to Hasse, the late couple was also gunned down.

Michael was the District Attorney for Kaufman County and was a part of the prosecution team in Williams' 2012 theft trial.

How can I watch Dateline's Kaufman Murders episode?

Williams' facilitation of the Kaufman County Murders is retold in a Dateline NBC episode titled Bad Intentions.

On June 9, 2023, Bad Intentions is scheduled to air that Friday at 9pm EST via the aforementioned network.

The broadcast features show anchor Andrea Canning as she collects testimonies from those who are close to the investigation.

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For those that miss Friday's airing, there are a couple of streaming options available.

Audiences that miss the initial broadcast can check out the Kaufman County Murders episode via Hulu or Peacock.

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