Convicted killer serving life sentence since age 15 gets chance at parole

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A man serving a life sentence for a murder he committed when he was 15 years old in 1995 could be granted parole as the result of a new law passed by the Minnesota Legislature that allows juveniles certified as adults serving a life sentence to be fully eligible for parole after 15 years.

Fifteen-year-old Adrian Williams killed 16-year-old Artis Brown Jr. nearly three decades ago, but the now 43-year-old Williams says since 2013 he’s a changed man – enrolling in several programs the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) has offered, and he says he’s 10 hours away from a bachelor’s degree.

In 1995, for Williams and a lot of kids in Minneapolis, street signs could be like coming to a crossroads in life – one can lead you home, the other to a childhood filled with guns, drugs, and murder.

Williams says had a supportive family but took a wrong turn early on. 

"It didn't affect me because the streets, the neighborhood had me by then," Williams told FOX 9’s Karen Scullin in an exclusive interview from prison. "They already had my head."

The shooting happened at 31st Street and Pleasant Avenue South in south Minneapolis, when both were on bicycles. Court documents say it stemmed from an argument about fake drugs, but Williams says there was more to it, and that was just one of the crimes he had already committed as one of the founding members of a violent gang called "the bogus boys."

FOX 9 attempted to track down anyone related to Brown but was not successful.

"That gang just started really taking off – the oldest person was 17, 18 [years old], but we were doing adult stuff… Money collecting, shootings, robberies, murder. It was crazy. It was something that kids shouldn’t be involved with," Williams said.

Williams says he was shot six times by the time he was 15 years old – all just part of the dangerous lifestyle he chose.

"We shot at cops; it was just like 1995 was a hell of a year. I remember we went through a box of bullets in a week," Williams said.

But the end of the road came when he killed Brown and was sentenced. He was one of the youngest at the time to be certified as an adult and sentenced to life in prison.

"When I got convicted, it was ‘Murderapolis’ inside of prison, and so I didn't get away from it all," Williams said. "I left the streets, and the same exact people were in prison with me."

Williams says he spent the next 18 years inside prison with the same behavior he had on the outside - getting in trouble, and committing crimes.

But 2013 was the beginning of the end of that hardened lifestyle, correlating with when his father had a heart attack.

"He asked me to just chill out," Williams said. "He was like, ‘I don't want to see you in prison like you are, you're always in segregation… If you're going to be in there, at least be the best person you can be.’"

That’s when Williams started reading, joining programs, and taking classes.

"Every single program that came through the system. I used to take programs just to get out, and even though I was taking programs, I was still getting in trouble because I would go to critical thinking, anger management, domestic abuse," Williams said. "I’ve been to parenting like three times – I don't even have children."

Williams said it was looking at the other inmates that also helped change him.

"They had chances, they would get out and come back and get out and come back," Williams said.

Now Williams hopes that change will help him as he meets with DOC Commissioner Paul Schnell.

The new law that went into effect Jan. 1 allows juveniles certified as adults serving a life sentence to be fully eligible for parole after 15 years. Williams has served 28.

But his optimism doesn’t come without reflection on his past – he says he has no doubt Artis Brown’s family still hurts and grieves the loss.  

"I used to see his family. I’ve met some of them in prison. He had brothers come in right away in the beginning, and they were just confused, like, what happened?" Williams said. "I would apologize. It was sad. I made a bad choice, and I’m sorry."

If paroled, Williams says he would like to continue studying to be an attorney, and counsel troubled kids or juvenile inmates. He says he doesn’t think juveniles arrested for murder can find the right path in just a few years.

"They’re hurting people… But the legislators have the ability to fix that by allowing juveniles to stay a little bit longer than 18 months, and I wish they would get involved with that," Williams said. "I wish there was something that put them in the system, so they can go past the age of 21 because what they do is let you off juvenile probation at 21."

If released, Williams says the right road won’t be hard to find now – he remains close to his dad and stepmom. He hopes to reconnect with them, and his sister and brothers soon.

Commissioner Schnell will determine if Williams is ready for parole and decide on a course of action.

He could still use a "stepdown" process, including a possible transfer to a halfway house with GPS monitoring for work release.