Jackson County prosecutor seeks clemency for KC man sentenced to 80 years for burglary

The Jackson County prosecutor is seeking clemency for a Kansas City man sentenced to 80 years in prison for burglary.

Alvis Williams has now served more than 20 years and Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker has asked Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon to order Williams’ release.

Baker noted that if convicted of the same crime today, Williams would receive a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.

“He has now served 21 years as an inmate,” Baker wrote to the governor. “It would be my desire to see him as a taxpayer and a contributor to his family.”

Baker said in her letter that the lead prosecutor and a victim in the 1994 case both support clemency for Williams.

If granted clemency, she said he will receive assistance from the Bishop Sullivan Center to help ease his transition back into the community.

At the time Williams was sentenced, the prosecutor recommended a 20-year sentence. The Jackson County judge, who has since died, instead imposed 80 years.

In a 2015 interview with The Star, Williams, now 46, said his faith has sustained him in his fight to be freed.

“I can’t do anything about the time I’ve served,” he told The Star. “I just want to get back to my children, my wife and my God.”

This story was originally published January 5, 2017 at 10:12 AM with the headline "Jackson County prosecutor seeks clemency for KC man sentenced to 80 years for burglary."