Location

Defendant

Date of Crime

Steven Smith was sentenced to death for the murder of Virdeen Willis Jr., who was shot outside a tavern.  Willis was an assistant warden at the Pontiac Correctional Center.  Smith was convicted due to the testimony of Debrah Caraway, which was dubious for several reasons.  First, Caraway had been smoking crack cocaine.  Second, she claimed Willis was alone when the killer stepped out of shadows and fired the fatal shot, but two other witnesses said they were standing beside Willis when he was murdered.  Third, Caraway's boyfriend, Pervis (Pepper) Bell, was an alternative suspect in the murder.  Finally, Caraway, according to her account, was across the street when the crime occurred and, while she positively identified Smith, the two persons who were standing beside Willis were within only two or three feet of the killer and could not identify Smith.

In 1999, the Illinois Supreme Court threw out the conviction due to insufficient evidence and it barred a retrial.  It ruled that Caraway's testimony was less reliable than the contradictory testimony of the other witnesses.  Leonard Cavise, a DePaul University law professor, said he believes the state's evidence in the case was so weak that the prosecution should not have even brought charges against Smith, much less pursued the death penalty.  (CWC)  [1/06]

www.victimsofthestate.org

Individual Case Summaries

Main Menu