LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A man sent to life in prison for a 1994 murder conviction will become eligible for parole after Governor Asa Hutchinson announced he intended to grant him a commutation.
In March 1994, Alvin Williams was arrested and charged for the murder of Ron Henry in Little Rock. He was later convicted for the crime and sentenced to life in prison.
A petition was created in early 2021 urging Hutchinson to grant clemency to Williams.
Williams, along with two prison employees, started the U.N.I.T.Y. (U and I helping Teen Youth) program in 2004 at Tucker Maximum Security Prison, which focuses on preventing future gang activity. The petition said Williams continues to run the program to this day.
The program was the subject of an Arkansas PBS documentary in 2012.
There are no law enforcement objections to the commutation and there is a 30-day waiting period for public comments.