Stanley Williams

Stanley Tookie Williams III (December 29, 1953 – December 13, 2005) was an American gangster, known as one of the original founders and leaders of the Crip gang in Los Angeles, California. In 1971, Williams and Raymond Washington formed an alliance establishing the Crips as the first major African-American street gang in South Central Los Angeles. Williams became the de facto leader and the prominent crime boss in South Central in the 1970s. In 1979, Williams was convicted for the murder of four people during two robberies, and was sentenced to death. The highly publicized trial of Williams and extensive appeals for clemency sparked debate on the status of the death penalty in California. On December 13, 2005, Williams was executed by lethal injection after extensive appeals for clemency and a four-week stay of execution were both rejected by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.