Man taking freedom, celebrity in stride after 22 years in prison

By Errin Haines, The Associated Press, January 25, 2007

ATLANTA - Spending nearly half his life in prison has not taken the twinkle from Willie O. "Pete" Williams' eye or the optimism from his spirit about how he plans to spend the rest of his life as a free man.

Two days ago, Williams walked out of a jail into the embrace of his family and the glaring spotlight of the media. He has tried - unsuccessfully - to use a cell phone and sleep through the night. He has wondered at how much Atlanta has changed since he went to prison 21 years and eight months ago.

After years of showers, he has taken a hot bath, which he described as "quite lovely." He hasn't yet had the steak and baked potato dinner he longed for, but he enjoyed his first meal of Church's fried chicken.

He has not thought much about the cell he left more than 280 miles and a world away. Williams, formerly Georgia Department of Corrections prisoner number 403376, was convicted of a 1985 attack on a woman at an apartment complex parking lot who identified him as her attacker.

Two years ago, Williams contacted the Georgia Innocence Project, and lawyers discovered the DNA material from a rape examination kit. Tests on the kit exonerated Williams, clearing the way for his release.

Today, Williams, 44, said he got up full of joy.

"Regardless of how old you are, you always have a chance at whatever it is in life you want to do," he said.

On Thursday afternoon, dressed in an orange polo shirt, crisp jeans and brown boots, Williams gave some of his newfound freedom to reporters, chatting for half an hour about his time in prison, his newfound celebrity, the past 48 hours and his hopes for the future.

At home, he's had to force himself to go to sleep, since closing his eyes would mean missing his family, Williams explained. He cooked breakfast, cleaned the kitchen, did whatever he could to tire himself out, he said.

Moments of rest were constantly interrupted. Williams has woken up in the middle of the night several times, wondering where he was.

"I kept making sure I was still there at the house," he said.

Missing out on two decades of progress, Williams said he has been careful not to touch anything he might not know how to use. He is fascinated by society's obsession with cell phones, and plans to get one.

Meanwhile, his younger sister, Tracy, is helping him figure out the new gadget.

"I just hand it to her and say, 'Get it to talk for me,'" Williams said.

He hasn't attempted to use a computer yet, but he said he is looking forward to getting online.

While he can't believe how different some things are, Williams never doubted that he would one day get to see them for himself as a free man.

"I'm a decent man and I just couldn't think of anything I've ever done in my life" that could warrant the punishment he received, Williams said. "I continued to believe that the opportunity would present itself."

Williams is the sixth man in Georgia to be exonerated based on DNA evidence. The first, Calvin Johnson, sat next to Williams at the news conference and has talked with him about preparing for life on the outside.

"He just needs to keep his focus," Johnson said, adding that he advised Williams to relax and remember to keep his family first. "Twenty-one years in prison prepares you for anything."

While he's taking it all in now, Williams said he is eager to start working, perhaps as an electrician or heating and air conditioning specialist.

"Being a man, our instinct is to stand on our two feet," he said.

As a young 20something, Williams dreamed of being a gospel singer, and sang a few bars of "Amazing Grace" - his mother's favorite song - for reporters. He used his rich baritone in the prison choir, and still hasn't ruled out a singing career.

Williams said his faith, which he found more than a decade ago, helped him through his ordeal.

"That's been my rock," he said, adding that he plans to find a church home soon. "It delivered me from my situation."

After being angry about his wrongful incarceration for 10 years or so, Williams found religion and said he no longer blames the system for what happened to him.

"Anybody can screw up. We're all human," he said.

His positive attitude allowed him to stay in good spirits even as he rode nearly five hours from south Georgia to Atlanta in handcuffs and leg shackles. Although he was hours away from being a free man, the sheriff's deputies who were transporting him chained him anyway, explaining that they were following procedure.

When reminded by a reporter that no one can tell him what to do anymore, he looked up, nodded and said, "Absolutely."

Williams's humility shows in his reluctant approach to his celebrity status. He is surprised at all the attention his case has gotten. He looks forward to being alone after decades of life with a cellmate or officer looking over his shoulder - though he can't seem to pull himself away from his 12-year-old nephew.

Thursday night, Williams will try again to sleep in the bed he is not yet used to.

"In prison, the bed was like sleeping on a table," he said. "Sleeping here was like a soft cloud in heaven. I'm not used to comfort."