Willis denied retrial in killings
JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. — A judge in East Tennessee has denied a death row convict’s motion for a new trial in the slaying of two Chickamauga, Ga., teens, one of whom was dismembered.
According to the Johnson City Press, a court order entered this week stated Howard Hawk Willis’ trial had no errors and denied a new trial for the 61-year-old.
He was convicted two years ago and sentenced to death in the 2002 slayings of Adam Chrismer, 17, and his wife, Samantha, 16.
The investigation began when a fisherman found the boy’s head floating in Boone Lake. The bodies were found in plastic bins in a rental storage unit in Johnson City.
Special Judge John Kerry Blackwood reviewed Willis’ motion and ruled against his request.