Over a decade after being hired as prosecutor in the Hamilton County District Attorney's Office, Executive Assistant District Attorney Cameron Williams is saying goodbye Wednesday and saying hello to the Knox County District Attorney's Office on Thursday.
The Chattanooga Times Free Press sat down with Williams to talk about his career and his next steps.
Born in Seattle and raised in Memphis, Williams followed his wife, Amy Williams, to Chattanooga after she got a job as a business reporter for the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Williams was hired in 2007 by former District Attorney General Bill Cox.
Williams attended Memphis Catholic High School, graduating in 1993, and graduated from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 2003.
Williams may come back to Chattanooga. He said he will put in his name to be considered to replace Judge Alex McVeagh, should that seat become vacant. McVeagh, Amanda Dunn and Robert Davis have all put in their names to be considered to fill the seat that will be vacated by Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Tom Greenholtz as he moves to the Tennessee Eastern District Criminal Court of Appeals on Sept. 1.
Q: Were you always on the prosecution side?
A: Once I graduated from law school in 2003, I was offered and accepted a job at the 25th Judicial District, the District Attorney General's Office. Elizabeth Thompson Rice was my boss. And I've always been a prosecutor. I've always been in law enforcement. (The 25th Judicial District includes Fayette, Hardeman, Lauderdale, McNairy and Tipton counties.)
Q: What do you love about it?
A: There's so many different things. I love the courtroom. I love being in the courtroom. I love what the courtroom represents. It represents a place where truth and justice are supposed to be attained. As far as specifically a prosecutor, because there's not just the prosecutor in the courtroom, there's the judge, there's the public defender and there are defense attorneys. But I think as a prosecutor, very early on in my career, what I loved most about it was trying cases, I love to try cases. There's nothing like it in the world, like our justice system, that does jury trials like the American justice system. I think, as I get older, and I get more experienced, I think one of the things that I enjoyed most about prosecution is the relationship with law enforcement, is advising law enforcement. Being a prosecutor is not a 9-to-5 job. You would take calls at all hours, because being a police officer, law enforcement officer, is not a 9-to-5 job either. They are always out there protecting the community, and sometimes, they need advice. Also, I love to train new prosecutors. It's very rewarding to sit with them in court and see how they're doing. They know how to do the right thing, they know how to follow the law, they know how to listen to facts and they know how to argue that to the court.
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Executive assistant district attorney Cameron Williams speaks during an interview at the Hamilton County Criminal Court Building on Tuesday, August 30, 2022.Q: What's your favorite thing to share with new prosecutors?
A: New prosecutors can be timid sometimes, and they don't, they don't know the level of authority that they possess because they're prosecutors. Assistant DAs probably have the most powerful job in the criminal justice system. My favorite part, my favorite thing to impart to them, is that "you have this unfathomable level of authority and power." It's not always about winning, it's not always about being the best. It's about how you use that authority. Although you may have all this authority and have all this power, your job is to find the truth and to get to the most reasonable, the most fair disposition that you can get to. Sometimes, that's not always beneficial. If you discover something in the time that you're preparing for a case that helps the defendant or helps the defense, then you have to reveal that information. One of the most important things a prosecutor needs to know is that you have all this power, but you need to use this power for everybody.
Q: You mentioned that it is the prosecutor's job to reveal any sort of information that could even benefit the defense, let's expand on that a little bit.
A: The defense's purpose is to make sure that their client gets the best outcome. It has little to do with fairness or impartiality. That is not the same for a prosecutor. Expanding on it: There may be statements that witnesses have made that are inconsistent with statements that they have made previously. And that is something that has to be provided to the defense. There may be evidence that may not completely exculpate a defendant, but it may be evidence that would assist in their trial. It's important that they have that evidence, that they have been provided (with) that evidence, especially if the state knows about it and intends to use it during the trial.
Q: What have been the most difficult case or cases and why?
A: You know, prosecutors always think about the last case they've tried. What do they say, "You're only as good as the last case you tried." I think the most difficult case recently was the Benjamin Brown case. That was the case where Annie Burkett was killed. That case was especially difficult. (Brown was sentenced to two years in prison for criminally negligent homicide in the 2018 death of Burkett, a 2-year-old Hixson girl.)
Q: What made it so difficult for you?
A: The age of the victim, and we felt, Andrew Coyle, who I tried the case with, and the members of the Soddy-Daisy Police Department investigated the case. We thought we had a good case for first-degree murder, and then when it comes back something considerably less, I think that's disappointing. I don't disagree with the jury. I don't disagree with their verdict, but that can be tough sometimes, when you believe you have the proof and the law on your side, and sometimes a jury doesn't agree with you. But that's just part of being a prosecutor.
Q: What do you wish people knew about being a prosecutor?
A: I don't know that they necessarily understand what a prosecutor does, what being a prosecutor means. Like I explained at the beginning, it's not just about getting wins, not just about trying cases, it's about making sure that the system is fair, impartial and works for everybody, and that means everybody in the state of Tennessee, not just certain members. So I think people have this idea that maybe they have to try these cases, they have to make sure that they get these great convictions in, and that is good, that is good for public safety. I think a very important thing about being a prosecutor is to make sure that everyone understands that this is a fair and impartial process. I think the prosecutor is a big part of that, as well as the other parties in the courtroom, like the judge.
Q: What's your next step?
A: Well, I'm going to Knoxville, of course, and I'm going to do more of what I've been doing here. I believe their intention is to put me in the Major Crimes Unit. So I will be prosecuting, hopefully, high-profile cases, murders, rapes, things of that nature. That's what I'm good at. That's what I love to do. I love dealing with families and making sure that they trust the system and they trust what's going on. Dealing with the victims and witnesses and making sure that they trust the system and explaining the system to them. I am very much looking forward to continuing my relationship with law enforcement.
Q: Is there something you feel they're lacking, that you can bring?
A: (Knox County District Attorney) Charme P. Allen runs a great office. I would not be seeking to bring them something that they don't already have, but to add to a very efficient, a very professional office and hoping to add my experience to that.
Q: Is there anything that I didn't ask that you would like to talk about?
A: I think people maybe when they read about me going to Knoxville, they'll take that as me leaving. I'm not. I'm not leaving, at least not yet. My family and my heart are here in Chattanooga, but my prosecutor's heart has led me to Knoxville for the time being.
The Times Free Press sought an interview with outgoing District Attorney Neal Pinkston to discuss the close of his tenure, but he declined.
Contact La Shawn Pagán at lpagan@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6476. Follow her on Twitter @LaShawnPagan.
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Executive assistant district attorney Cameron Williams speaks during an interview at the Hamilton County Criminal Court Building on Tuesday, August 30, 2022.