The touching story of Archie Williams, condemned to life imprisonment without parole for a crime he did not commit, and spent thirty-seven years in jail—and yet did not become bitter or desperate.
“When somebody inflicts evil on you, it’s all about how we let it affect us mentally. If you harbour evil, it can destroy you. That’s a scientific fact, right there. I never harboured evil — even when I knew that the people that put me in prison knew that I was innocent. And I’m talking about from the top to the bottom; they knew. But I never allowed the evil spirit of it to live in my heart. I always say life is how we feel it. My dream is to pursue a career as a boxing coach and singer.” These are the inspiring words of Archie Williams, an innocent African American who was imprisoned for thirty-seven years for a crime he did not commit.
Archie Williams hails from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. On 9 December 1982, a thirty-year-old woman was raped and stabbed in her Baton Rouge home in Louisiana by an unknown black male. On the 4 January 1983, twenty-two-year-old Archie Williams was arrested as the culprit, a crime he knew nothing about. He knew he was innocent, but, as a poor black kid, he didn’t have the financial or political clout to fight the state of Louisiana.
During his trial, it was discovered that fingerprints found at the crime scene were not his own. Williams also had three witnesses that came forward to testify that Williams was at home sleeping when the crime occurred. The victim herself wasn’t able to identify Williams as the culprit. The victim’s neighbour also said the culprit was taller than Williams. But the court succumbed after intense pressure by the police. Even with evidence showing that Williams was innocent, the state of Louisiana convicted Williams of the crime on April 21, 1983. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without a possibility of parole to a prison called “Angola,” known as the most violent and crime-ridden prison in the United States.
Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, months into years and years into decades—with no help in sight. In prison, Williams watched the TV show “America’s Got Talent” all the time. He would visualize himself being there. He was twenty-two when he was jailed. He never gave up. What sustained him over the three decades of his wrongful imprisonment was his family, first and foremost, and also singing and boxing. While at Angola, he coached the best boxing team in the prison’s history, winning numerous Louisiana state titles. He also comes from a family of singers. When he felt knocked down in prison, he would pray and sing to the Lord and that was how he found peace in prison. He led music ministrations in the prison church singing and praising God. There is a documentary of Williams, “A Decade behind Bars: Return to the Farm.”
God Experience in Dark Cells
“I don’t know that it can be explained, but all it’s all about faith in God,” Williams says, when asked how he kept going through the fear and darkness of his time in a notorious prison. “My faith has always been with God, all my life,” he adds. “I have faith that God will guide me through whatever storm. I just trust.” As the Bible says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze” (Isaiah 43). This was a lived experience for Williams. He never allowed the evil spirit of being angry and bitter at his conviction live in his heart.
Sr Lini Sheeja MSC
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