Who Did Stanley 'Tookie' Williams Murder?

Who did Stanley 'Tookie' Williams murder? It's hard to know.

I Googled his name to try to get a better understanding of the issue and the man. The first few pages of Google results read page after page hailing Tookie's Redemption.

I had read an article a while back written by prison officials that were in direct opposition to the headlines and movie star statements about this death row inmate.

I tried to find the statement on the internet without success. I did find several sites that blast the prison officials for trying to discredit Tookie.

I did find the names of his victims and descriptions of the crimes he was sentenced to death for. But only on a few blogs. Michelle Malkin discusses his crimes and quotes the survivors of his victims. FullosseousFlap's Blog has a series of posts keeping watch of the Tookie story.

I'm sure there are more sites with information about and/or sympathic leanings towards the victims of the crimes. But I didn't have time to spend hours looking for them.

As part of Tookie's Redemption, he has written children stories to inform kids of the dangers of gang life. He says he doesn't want kids to end up like him.

The statement from the prison is decidedly debunked by Tookie's spokeswoman, Barbara Becnel. He has a spokeswoman?!?!

His supporter's challenge the prison's official statements regarding Tookie's Redemption or lack thereof, with statements like:

• 'they are trying to discredit him at every turn'
• 'it's an abuse of the prison system's power'
• 'we knew they would try to malign him'
• 'they are trying to drum up business on death row'
• 'they can't even let him have his dignity'
• 'the prison system's allegations are ridiculous'

The supporters of Tookie are also simply appalled that the Los Angeles District Attorney's office wrote a letter to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger that included details and photos of the crimes he had been convicted of committing. They called the photos and descriptions of his crimes bloody and prejudicial.

San Quentin spokesman Vernell Crittendon said "A con always will say one thing to you while the whole time he has another agenda," the San Quentin spokesman said. "I'm concerned that possibly this marketing that's going on ... leads the public to hear the words, but not to see that sleight of hand."

Crittendon has noted, among other things, that Tookie has an unusually large bank account for an inmate. He often gets $500 or $1000 at a time as compared to other inmates with $10 or $20. Tookie's spokeswoman says that's just cause people appreciate his work.

Tookie's spokeswoman and celebrity supporters have an answer to every allegation prision officials have made concerning Tookie.

Most of their comebacks are on the level of, 'Yeah? Your mama!'

So let's recap:

• Tookie was convicted of horrific crimes {plural};
• Tookie was sentenced to death by lethal injection in a state that supports the death penalty;
• Tookie has run out of all his appeals;
• Tookie has now turned to publicity and goof-ball celebrities who will get some air time to take up his cause;
• Tookie's people say looking at photos of his crime scenes and descriptions of his crimes is prejudicial;
• Tookie's people say he's been redeemed;
• Tookie's people say he can help save children who might go into gang life;
• Tookie's people say the prison officials are just out to get Tookie;
• Tookie's people don't want us {we the people} to know the names or circumstances of the deaths of the people he was convicted of murdering;
• Tookie is getting desperate;
• Tookie is running out of time.

What's left to find out is whether or not Governor Schwarzenegger will have the guts to let justice take it's course.

If the governor does not interfer with the 1979 sentense, then perhaps Tookie will get his wish. Perhaps he'll be able to help the children from the communities he says he is reaching out to through his books.

He says he does not want these children to end up where he is.

Where he is right now is in the lime-light with a bunch of celebrities surrounding him and taking up his cause.

If he really wants those kids to see the results of gang life,

then ...

he should get his wish ...

with an exclamation point at the end of his wasted life.