Judge refuses to grant relief from death sentence

Staff report

CLEVELAND

A federal judge has refused to grant former Warren man Andre Williams relief from his death sentence on his contention that he is mentally disabled.

Williams killed George Melnick and participated in an assault of his wife, Katherine, in 1988 at the Melnick’s house on Wick Street Southeast in 1988.

Williams was convicted of aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary and attempted rape.

Christopher W. Daniel, 42, the other man involved in the attacks, was sentenced to 37 to 100 years in prison on convictions of involuntary manslaughter, aggravated burglary and aggravated robbery.

Judge Donald Nugent ruled last week that Judge W. Wyatt McKay of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court was correct when he ruled without a hearing that Williams was not mentally disabled.

A ruling of mentally disabled would have made Williams exempt from the death penalty on the grounds that executing the mentally disabled is cruel and unusual punishment.

Dennis Watkins, Trumbull County prosecutor, said in a news release that the most recent ruling removes an obstacle that prevented Williams’ execution.

Williams’ mental disability claims date back to 2003.