Terrence Williams, who was convicted of first-degree murder, will no longer be executed by lethal injection on Wednesday due to a Philadelphia judge’s decision.

His execution has been halted based on evidence that, as a teenager, Williams had been sexually abused by his victim, Amos Norwood.

Judge M. Teresa Sarmina said Friday that prosecutors suppressed evidence that Williams’ victim was a pedophile who abused boys, including Williams. However, Sarmina upheld Williams’ first-degree murder conviction.

Williams is on death row for killing two men, a church deacon and a high school sports booster, as a teenager.Williams’ lawyers have maintained that police and prosecutors withheld evidence about the sexual link between him and victim Amos Norwood, so the jury never heard about it before voting for a death sentence.

Philadelphia prosecutors have denied any wrongdoing in the 1986 trial.

Read more at ABC.

 

Should people who kill their alleged abusers be sent to jail or given lighter sentences?

Should the justice system treat these cases differently?

Sound off below!