I have created this petition with permission on behalf of Christopher A. Williams who is currently incarcerated at Marion County Correctional Institution in Marion County Ohio. Chris has been incarcerated for 20 years on a 48-life sentence for the murder of Rhonda Boggs who resided in Pataskala, Ohio in April of 2002. 

Another individual confessed willingly to Rhonda’s murder on 3 distinct and separate occasions. The confessions by this individual were given in person to the police, in writing, and also over the phone to his wife. The individual also failed a polygraph test when asked about the murder and also knew intimate details including where the body was located as well as what was missing from her home. The victim’s DNA was later found on this individual’s leatherman tool knife that he frequently carried with him. Additionally, he also quit his job the morning after the murder before being arrested for the crime. He later recanted his confession and after 8 months in jail, the charges were dropped. Chris was later arrested for receiving stolen property and then charged with the murder of Rhonda Boggs.

The only witness to the murder was the victim's 2.5-year-old daughter who also identified that this same original individual was the one who “hurt her mommy”. The individual who confessed to the murder is a direct family relation of the then victim’s husband. A neighbor who resided across the street also identified this individual as the person she saw leaving the home around the time of the murder. The victim’s sister informed the prosecution that this same individual had attacked the victim 2 weeks prior, and the victim had to fight him off with a knife. The information was excluded by the prosecution as hearsay evidence from Chris’s defense during the trial.

The coroner, in this case, changed the time of death 2 years after the murder to fit the prosecution's new theory of the crime. The time of death was changed from approximately 2-3 A.M. to between 7-8 P.M. The original time of death in Rhonda’s murder had cleared Chris from involvement in this crime. The coroner also testified to the fact that while he had performed 5000 prior autopsies he had never used this newer method (Hensage Method) to approximate a time of death. The chief of police also testified on Chris’s behalf that the wrong man was on trial for murder.

Chris testified that he had entered the house after the murder and upon finding Rhonda had attempted to help her and then fled when he realized he was unable to. The prosecution was provided with evidence that Chris was miles away in another town (Buckeye Lake) at 6:45 pm that evening. Their allegations were that Chris had driven from Buckeye Lake, Ohio to the victim’s house in Pataskala, Ohio, murdered Rhonda, ransacked her house after which he then drove to Columbus, Ohio, and used a stolen credit card at a gas station at 7:30 PM the same night. Given the estimated time frame and distance between locations, it’s physically impossible to drive that distance, much less commit murder and burglary. Chris concedes that he was guilty of theft and also making poor decisions due to drug addiction during that period of time.

Chris has rehabilitated himself over the past 20 years and is no longer involved with drugs of any type. Chris maintains himself in recovery and has a steady job in prison. He continues to share his love and passion for music with his fellow inmates. The hope is that through this petition Chris can find assistance in correcting the injustice and the harsh sentencing that was wrongly imposed upon him. We ask that you please sign and promote this petition in order to bring awareness to his situation and to help Chris regain the freedom he deserves to finally go home and be reunited with his loving family.