Dorothy Williams - Cook County State's Attorney

the senior citizens building, she did not live there, had no relatives there, and did not work
there.
It was Mr. Carmichael who helped the police solve Mary Harris’ murder. On
September 6, 1989, he saw the defendant, who had died her hair red and was wearing
glasses, with another woman, walking away from the corner bus stop. Mr. Carmichael
excitedly pointed defendant out to Officer Betty Woods. He told her what he had seen the
night of the murder and that he had also seen at another time the defendant choke another
elderly resident of the building.
Officer Woods, a senior citizens officer for the Chicago Police Department,
approached the two women. Officer Woods spoke with defendant and her companion.
Defendant lied to Officer Woods, saying that her name was "Deborah" Williams. Officer
Woods transported the two to the Area One Detective Division.
The defendant continued to claim she was Deborah Williams to the detectives.
After being advised of her rights, she initially stated she had not been in the 4030 Lake
Park building in years and that she did not know the victim.
Following this conversation, defendant signed a consent to search form. The
officers went to defendant's apartment and recovered a Realistic Clarinet Number Sixteen
stereo with two speakers. As the evidence against her mounted, the defendant began to
change her story bit by bit. When confronted with Mary Harris’ stereo, Dorothy Williams
admitted it belonged to her. Defendant stated that she had purchased the stolen stereo
approximately one month earlier from an unknown male black. Defendant could not
estimate the person’s age, weight, height or complexion. After this conversation an
evidence technician was called to take defendant's fingerprints.
The defendant then admitted that she previously gone to 4030 S. Lake Park, but
stated that she had never been on the victim’s floor. Once again she claimed she could not
describe the person from whom she bought the stereo.
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