Jessie Con-ui

Jessie Con-ui (born January 17, 1977) is an American criminal who, when a prisoner at United States Penitentiary, Canaan for a 2013 murder and conspiracy to commit murder, killed a corrections officer.[1][2] He was serving time at the penitentiary for a gang murder he committed in Arizona. Con-ui's criminal past is lengthy, being arrested in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Pennsylvania. His charges include dozens of charges of drug use, distribution, trafficking, aggravated assault, robbery, attempted murder and murder.[3][4]

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

Criminal past

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. Following that sentence, he was set to begin serving a life sentence after pleading guilty in 2008 to first-degree murder in Arizona.[5]

In that case, which occurred in 2002, Con-ui allegedly 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.[6]

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.[7]

While out of jail in 2013, court documents allege Con-ui agreed to participate in the murder of a law enforcement officer but was arrested in Arizona before the murder could be carried out.

Murder of Eric Williams

Con-ui was incarcerated at United States Penitentiary, Canaan from 2009 until the stabbing in 2013.

On 25 February 2013, Con-ui kicked corrections officer Eric Williams down a flight of stairs. Con-ui then descending the stairs pulled out 2 shanks made out of an unknown object, he then attacked Williams for 11 minutes, while other prisoners watched, none stopping Con-ui. Williams was stabbed 203 times, his body having been kicked dozens of times and head slammed into the floor, killing him.

Finally, a fellow corrections officer who entered looking for Williams found him at the bottom of the stairs with Con-ui standing over Williams' body. 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.[8]

Con-ui was asked by another officer why he did it, with Con-ui simply responding "He disrespected me."

Murder trial

Con-ui was jailed at ADX Florence, a super-maximum federal prison in Fremont County, Colorado, nicknamed the “Alcatraz of the Rockies.”[9]

Con-ui's trial began on June 5, 2017 with opening statements being held at the Federal Courthouse in Scranton, Pennsylvania. During the first day a 12-minute video showing the graphic attack was played in front of the court room. Con-ui was seen having his eyes covered by 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."[10]

Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis Sempa told the jury, "Eric Williams was two hours from shift end and going home. He never made it home."

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.[11][12] On July 10, 2017 the jury found Con-ui guilty, however the death penalty could not be agreed on by the jury and his sentence was automatically reduced to life in prison without the possibility for parole.[13][14][15]

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. "Death Penalty trial to begin for inmate who killed". Indiana Gazette. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  6. "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.
  7. "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.
  8. "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.
  9. "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.
  10. "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.
  11. "Stunning Video, Testimony in Prison Murder Trial". WNEP.com. 5 June 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  12. "Prospective jurors in the capital murder trial of accused corrections officer killer Jessie Con-ui". TimesLeader.com. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  13. "Con-ui to Get Life Sentence for Murdering Officer". WNEP.com. 2017-07-10. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  14. Sheehan, Brian (2017-06-05). "Con-ui trial begins with graphic video". WOLF. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  15. Leader, Times (2017-07-10). "Jury spares Jessie Con-ui's life for federal prison guard's murder". Times Leader. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
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