Jessie Con-ui
Con-ui in 2005
Born (1977-01-17) January 17, 1977
Philippines
NationalityFilipino-American
Other namesChino
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Criminal statusIncarcerated
Conviction(s)
  • One count of First-degree murder of a U.S. corrections officer
  • One count of conspiracy to commit murder
  • One count of first-degree murder
  • One count of possessing contraband in prison
Details
State(s)Arizona and Pennsylvania
Killed2
Imprisoned atADX Florence

Jessie Con-ui (born January 17, 1977) is an American criminal who, while serving time in prison at United States Penitentiary, Canaan for multiple crimes including first-degree murder, killed a corrections officer.[1][2] Con-ui had a lengthy criminal past that included dozens of charges for drug use, distribution, trafficking, aggravated assault, robbery, attempted murder and murder.[3][4]

Criminal past

Jessie Con-ui was raised in a slum in Manila, Philippines, before his mother married a U.S. serviceman and his family moved to Rome, New York, in the 1980s.[5] In 2013, Con-ui was at Canaan serving an 11-year prison sentence stemming from a 2003 guilty plea for his role in a drug ring run by the New Mexican Mafia prison gang. He was also serving a concurrent life sentence after pleading guilty in 2008 to first-degree murder in Arizona.[6]

In that case, which occurred in 2002, Con-ui baited friend and fellow gang member Carlos Garcia into meeting him at a Phoenix laundromat. There, two men ambushed and shot Garcia, who managed to slip away before one of the men fired four rounds into his head.[7]

Court documents claim Con-ui also agreed to or participated in several separate, uncharged incidents while incarcerated between 1999 and 2010, including stabbing another inmate with a homemade knife and assaulting another inmate with a food tray.[8]

Murder of Eric Williams

Con-ui began his incarceration at United States Penitentiary, Canaan in 2009. On February 25, 2013, Con-ui kicked corrections officer Eric Williams down a flight of stairs. Con-ui then attacked Williams for 11 minutes using two shanks, while other prisoners watched. Con-ui stabbed Williams 203 times, kicked him 11 times, and stomped his face, head, and neck six times. Video footage showed that more than 100 other inmates in the unit did nothing to intervene as the attack played out.[9]

Finally, a fellow corrections officer who entered looking for Williams found Con-ui standing over Williams' body at the bottom of the stairs. First aid was administered by other corrections staff, but was unsuccessful. Williams' body was transported to an area hospital and Con-ui was immediately taken into custody.[10]

When Con-ui was asked by another officer why he killed Williams, he responded, "He disrespected me."

Murder trial

After Williams' murder, Con-ui was jailed at ADX Florence, a super-maximum federal prison in Fremont County, Colorado, nicknamed the “Alcatraz of the Rockies”.[11]

Con-ui's trial began on June 5, 2017 with opening statements held at the Federal Courthouse in Scranton, Pennsylvania. On the first day, an 11-minute video showing the graphic attack was played in front of the courtroom. Con-ui was seen covering his eyes with his hands, and the Williams family left prior to the video, stating "We didn't want to see our son, husband and friend like that."[12]

Defense attorneys fully admitted to jurors that "Jessie is guilty of murder beyond all doubt" and focused on trying to keep him from being sentenced to death.[13][14] On June 7, 2017, the jury found Con-ui guilty of first-degree murder. On July 10, the jury sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility for parole, despite 11 out of 12 jurors voting in favor of the death penalty, as current law requires a jury to unanimously impose the death penalty.[15][16][17][18]

Legislation

In May 2023, U.S. Representatives Matt Cartwright and Glenn Thompson, both of Pennsylvania, introduced Eric’s Law, a bill that would permit prosecutors to impanel a second jury for sentencing if the first jury in a federal death penalty case fails to reach a unanimous decision on a sentence, as it did in Con-ui's trial for Williams' murder.[18] This is the fourth attempt to pass the bill, which was previously introduced by former Senator Pat Toomey in 2018 and 2021, and Senator Ted Cruz in February 2023.[19]

References

  1. ↑ "Federal judge upholds death penalty in Jessie Con-ui case".
  2. ↑ "After more than four years of waiting and pre-trial maneuvering, the capital murder trial against Jessie Con-ui". The Times Tribune. 23 April 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  3. ↑ "Federal Inmate Indicted in Pennsylvania for Murder of Correctional Officer". www.justice.gov. 2013-06-25. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  4. ↑ Kalinowski, Bob. "Friend: Drinking led Con-ui to hard drugs". www.citizensvoice.com. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  5. ↑ Halpin, James (June 23, 2017). "Brother details Con-ui's early life". Pocono Record. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  6. ↑ "Death Penalty trial to begin for inmate who killed". Indiana Gazette. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  7. ↑ "Prospective jurors in the capital murder trial of accused corrections officer killer Jessie Con-ui have filled out questionnaires ..." Wilkes Barre Times Leader. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  8. ↑ "Jessie Con-ui, 40, will stand trial next month and could be put to death if convicted of murdering Williams." The Times Tribune. 29 March 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  9. ↑ Leader, Times (2017-06-05). "Video of prison guard's killing shown in Jessie Con-ui capital murder trial". Times Leader. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  10. ↑ "Jessie Con-ui, 39, is expected to stand trial next year for the murder of Eric Williams at U.S. Penitentiary Canaan in 2013". 21 December 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  11. ↑ "Jessie Con-ui was arraigned Tuesday in federal court in Scranton via video conference from the federal Supermax prison in Colorado". WFMZ. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  12. ↑ "Jury selection is underway for an inmate accused of killing a federal correctional officer in Wayne County". WNEP. 24 April 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  13. ↑ "Stunning Video, Testimony in Prison Murder Trial". WNEP.com. 5 June 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  14. ↑ "Prospective jurors in the capital murder trial of accused corrections officer killer Jessie Con-ui". TimesLeader.com. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  15. ↑ "Con-ui to Get Life Sentence for Murdering Officer". WNEP.com. 2017-07-10. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  16. ↑ Sheehan, Brian (2017-06-05). "Con-ui trial begins with graphic video". WOLF. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  17. ↑ Leader, Times (2017-07-10). "Jury spares Jessie Con-ui's life for federal prison guard's murder". Times Leader. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  18. 1 2 "Congressmen Cartwright and Thompson Introduce Eric's Law". Congressman Matt Cartwright. 2023-05-17. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  19. ↑ "Congress reconsiders death penalty with 'Eric's Law' on table again". NorthcentralPA.com. May 19, 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
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