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SCRANTON — The mother of a slain corrections officer told jurors Wednesday that the overwhelming grief her family feels will never go away.
“We live in a house of sorrow,” said Jean Williams, mother of Eric Williams who was killed by Jessie Con-ui. “It never gets any better.”
Jean was testifying during the third day of testimony in the death penalty phase of Con-ui’s trial. Eric’s father, Donald, and younger brother, Kyle, also took the stand.
Earlier this month, the jury found Con-ui guilty of stabbing Williams more than 200 times with a pair of shanks while the 34-year-old Nanticoke native was on duty. The same jury is now charged with determining his sentence — life in prison without the possibility of parole or death by execution. The jury must be unanimous in its decision on the death penalty, or Con-ui will receive life without the possibility of parole.
The prosecutors rested after the Williams family testified, and Con-ui’s legal team began its case. They called a correctional consulting professional who spoke at length about the life that Con-ui would have to look forward to if sentenced to life in prison.
Kyle shared several memories with the jury about growing up with Eric, which included fishing trips and working together at Wegmans in Wilkes-Barre Township.
A picture of Eric holding a large muskie that he caught while fishing with Kyle was shown to the court. Kyle told the jury that Eric landed that fish on his first cast.
“I’m very grateful that I had the opportunity to share those memories with him,” Kyle told the jury.
Kyle also called his brother an inspiration that kept him from dropping out of college.
Donald and Jean Williams spoke highly of their son, describing him as an active and happy child. Jean went so far as to describe him as the “all-American child”, while Donald called his younger son “golden.”
Other pictures shown to the court were of Eric with his pet rabbit and the family dog, as well as him with brothers Kyle and Mark.
Jean told the jury that with the money he earned on a paper route as a child, Williams would purchase several pets and bring them home, which drew laughter from the crowd.
Williams’ family members also all noted how he loved the holidays, with Christmas being his favorite holiday. Kyle said that Eric would make sure to let everyone know that he had the best presents, which drew more laughter from the crowd.
During his testimony, Donald acknowledged that he asked the prosecutors to not show photos of Williams when he was child.
“I can’t look at photos of Eric when he was little,” he said. “I fall apart. I can’t.”
Jean and Donald also testified that Williams was briefly a part-time police officer for Jefferson Township in Lackawanna County. Donald recalled being glad that his son moved out of the police cruiser and into the role of a corrections officer, thinking it was a safer position for his son to be in.
The tragedy
Donald, Jean and Kyle also told the jury of the tragic loss that still resonates with the family even four years after Eric’s death.
They each recalled first learning of the news early Monday morning following the night Williams was killed.
Donald and Jean each testified they were fast asleep when they heard a knock at the door at 1:30 a.m. When they opened the door, three prison officials notified them of their son’s death.
“My husband collapsed, and I think I was just in shock,” Jean testified.
Donald compared receiving the news to a “nuclear explosion” inside his head. He recalled running through a hallway in the house screaming “where is he” in a period of hysteria.
Donald added that to this day, he can still hear the prison officials notifying him of his son’s death playing in his head.
“It’s something nobody ever wants to hear,” he said. “It’s torture.”
Jean and Donald also recalled tough conversations with the undertaker when deciding whether or not to have an open casket at his funeral.
The family sought to have the undertaker reconstruct Williams’ face, but the family ultimately decided against it.
“It took everything I had … to see my son laying in that casket, and I hardly recognized him,” Donald said.
Life now
Jean said that while the family remains together and continues to heal, Williams is the “missing link” in the family.
Kyle also remembers learning of the news early that morning, and said he was “shattered.” His sister, Lauren, picked him up at his residence in New Jersey and brought him back to be with family.
Kyle described the household, which was filled with his family members by the time he got there, as chaotic. He recalled seeing his mother as though she were “lifeless,” and that his father was screaming and crying.
Kyle described life in the two years following Williams’ death as he struggled with alcohol. He said every day was “waking up wishing I didn’t wake up” and “drinking myself into oblivion” on a nightly basis.
Kyle testified that he moved back to Northeastern Pennsylvania and sought treatment in 2015.
The holidays, a time that the Williamses seemed to hold dear, have since not held the allure that they once did. Jean said the family didn’t even put up a Christmas tree after his death, but have since then. The family also puts a special ornament that Eric was especially fond of in a prominent place on the tree.
Donald, however, maintained that the holidays aren’t the same without Eric.
“You go through the motions,” he testified. “It’s not the same.”
The Williamses also testified that before his death, Williams bought a house overlooking Lily Lake. Jean jokingly testified that it was “money pit”, but added that her son was adamant in fixing it up and putting a porch overlooking the lake on it.
The Williams family gathered and did various work to the residence to make it just like he would have wanted, including two rocking chairs sitting on the porch, Jean testified.
The family also placed a large cement beagle on the property, which Jean said the family has named “Justice.”
Jean and Donald also testify that they visit their son’s grave daily.
Testimony is expected to continue at 9:30 a.m. Thursday.
