Fellow inmate defends killer
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WARREN -- Death row inmate Tyrone Ballew described convicted murderer Andre Williams as a man who for nearly 23 years has strived to better himself by improving his ability to read and write.
Ballew, 48, testified about Williams' growth as a student during a hearing designed to determine whether Williams is intellectually disabled. If found disabled, Williams could be found constitutionally ineligible for the death penalty.
The Atkins hearing is being conducted before Trumbull County Common Pleas Judge W. Wyatt McKay as a result of a 2015 Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that in 2004 and 2007 Williams' attorneys were not given opportunities to have hearings to determine if he was intellectually disabled.
Williams, 49, was sentenced to death for the Feb. 17, 1989, beating death of George Melnick, 65, of Warren, and the beating, blinding and attempted rape of Melnick's wife, Katherine. He has lost a series of appeals in an effort to get off death row.
The hearing began in November 2016, was continued in January and resumed again on Friday because it has been difficult to gather the witnesses to appear, according to Defense Attorney Alan C. Rossman.
A status hearing is tentatively scheduled April 17 to determine if additional witnesses will be called, according to the Trumbull County Prosecutor's Office.
Six heavily armed guards from Chillicothe Correctional Institution, as well as Trumbull County Sheriff's deputies, filled McKay's courtroom. The heavy contingent of guards was on scene because two death row inmates were in the courtroom together.
Ballew testified that for up to two years in the mid-1990s, he was paid to be Williams' tutor under a GED program that operated at the Mansfield Correctional Facility. Ballew continues to tutor Williams.
"He is an eager student," Ballew said. "He wants to learn and improve himself."
Ballew is on death row on two counts of aggravated murder -- one count of murder with prior calculation and design and one murder count committed during a kidnapping -- as well as kidnapping and burglary. He was convicted of the March 7, 1990, death of Donald Hill in Cincinnati.
As they have moved through four different Ohio prisons, the two men grew from being simply a student and a teacher to friends.
"I love him like a brother," Ballew said. "He is like family to me."
Ballew told defense attorney Alan C. Rossman that when he first began working with Williams he had difficulty in spelling, comprehension and writing.
"Our goal was to show he is a person who can learn," Rossman said.
When they were transferred to Ohio State Penitentiary, they had the option of either playing basketball or going to the library. The two men went to the library about half of the time.
"His desire to learn has gotten so much greater," Ballew said. "Although he still has challenges in reading and writing, he has greatly improved in comprehending what he is reading."
Assistant County Prosecutor Diane Barber questioned whether Ballew could read some letters and memos that Williams had written in the late 1980s and early 1990, before Williams began being tutored by him.
Ballew read several pre-1992 letters written by Williams that were presented to him.
McKay questioned whether Williams successfully had learned to use a tablet.
"He can hunt and peck," Ballew said.
rsmith@tribtoday.com