New Evidence Found In Lake In Kaufman Murders
KAUFMAN COUNTY (CBS 11 NEWS) - It took more than a year to make the discovery in Lake Tawakoni, but on March 5th, a dive team recovered two pistols and a black mask.
Court documents say one of the pistols discovered in the lake about 40 miles away in Hunt County, was used in the murder of assistant Kaufman County District Attorney Mark Hasse in January of last year.
Kaufman County Commissioners Court Judge Bruce Wood praised investigators. "This shows that the investigative team, the people who are doing the ground work, have been relentless in finding all of the evidence that they can."
Barry Sorrels, a trial attorney and former prosecutor in Dallas called the discovery, "Dramatic, incriminating evidence."
Sorrels says it's interesting to note that court documents show Kim Williams bought the other pistol found in the lake.
She, along with her soon to be ex-husband Eric Williams, a former Kaufman County Justice of the Peace, are accused of the capital murders of Hasse, and former District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife Cynthia in March of last year.
Sorrels says, "Smart money would bet that Kim Williams is going to be a witness for the prosecution... I expect that she's the one who tipped off law enforcement to the location where these were weapons were hidden."
Investigators say they still haven't found the 223-caliber weapon used to murder the McLellands.
But they're now focusing on a locked black tote that was found abandoned inside an office Eric Williams used to rent, right across the street from the courthouse.
Court documents say the tote found here is large enough to hold a 223 caliber weapon, and may contain a homemade explosive or napalm -- suggesting it could be a booby-trap.
Wood explained why he believes this case has received so much attention. "This is a siren call to our community, to our nation, that our very criminal justice system was under attack."
Prosecutors and defense attorneys for Eric Williams have now started the process of eliminating potential jurors in the death penalty case.
While Eric Williams' capital murder case has been moved to nearby Rockwall County, Kim Williams capital murder case remains in Kaufman County.
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