Board of Pardons to hear case of Philly prisoner sentenced to die Oct. 3

A commission on the death penalty convened by the Pennsylvania Legislature wants Gov. Tom Corbett to delay an execution scheduled for next month.

The request comes as the state Board of Pardons holds a hearing on whether to let Terry Williams of Philadelphia be executed Oct. 3.

State Sen. Daylin Leach, who represents Montgomery and Delaware counties, co-led the caucus that sent a letter to the governor asking for a stay of execution pending its December report.

“We feel waiting a few more months to make sure that we’re doing it right, that we’re doing it fairly, that it is worth doing, all of those things is a reasonable approach to take,” said Leach, a Democrat. “And that’s what we’ve asked the governor to do.”

Shortly after he turned 18, Williams killed an older man.  Williams, who is now 46, later said he had been sexually abused by that man and others as a child.

Now the widow of the man killed is supporting Williams’ bid for clemency.