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Patrick Willis
Patrick L. Willis was a judge for the Manitowoc County Circuit Court in Wisconsin.[1] He was appointed in 1997 to fill a vacancy and was elected to the position following his interim term.[2] Willis retired on October 5, 2012.[3][4]
Education
Willis earned his law degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was admitted to the Wisconsin State Bar in 1975.[5]
Noteworthy events
Steve Avery trial
Judge Willis oversaw the highly publicized trial of Steven Avery in 2007. After spending 18 years in prison for sexual assault, Avery was exonerated by DNA evidence and released in 2003. Upon his release, Avery filed a $36 million lawsuit against Manitowoc County for wrongful imprisonment. Two years later, while his civil suit was still pending, Avery was charged with the murder of Teresa Halbach, a 25-year-old photographer who was reported missing shortly after visiting Avery at his Wisconsin home.[6] At trial, Avery's attorneys argued that he was innocent and that police had planted evidence in order to see Avery convicted of Halbach's murder and sent back to prison.[7]
In 2007, Avery was found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide and illegal possession of a firearm. Willis sentenced Avery to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In sentencing Avery, Willis made the following statement:
| “ | "Whatever crimes may have been a part of your past at the time you committed this homicide, everything suggested that your life was poised to take a turn for the better. However, despite having the widespread sympathy of the public and the prospects for a significant financial award, you committed the horrible crime that brings you here to be sentenced today. In terms of assessing your danger to society, the evidence forces me to conclude that you are probably the most dangerous individual ever to set foot in this courtroom.”[8] | ” |
| —Patrick Willis[6] | ||
The trial later became the subject of the popular Netflix documentary series Making a Murderer, which was released in December 2015. Although Willis was not interviewed in the show, he does feature prominently in it.[5]
Elections
2010
- See also: Wisconsin judicial elections, 2010
Judge Willis ran for re-election on April 6, 2010. The race was uncontested, with Willis being re-elected.[9]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Wisconsin Circuit Courts, "Circuit Court Judges," accessed April 7, 2014
- ↑ Gazette Review, "What Happened to Patrick Willis – After Making a Murderer Update," January 9, 2016
- ↑ The Herald Times Reporter, "Judge Willis announces retirement," June 22, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ The Herald Times Reporter, "Judge looks back at 15 years," September 29, 2012
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Gazette Review, "What Happened to Patrick Willis – After Making a Murderer Update," accessed January 26, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Washington Post, "Where do the cases at the center of Netflix’s ‘Making a Murderer’ stand now?" accessed January 26, 2016
- ↑ Daily Mail, "EXCLUSIVE: Making a Murderer Steven Avery's prison fiancée reveals they split because he refuses to convert to Christianity - but says she is STILL convinced he is innocent," accessed January 26, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Wisconsin State Elections Board, "Candidates Registered By Office, Spring General Election - 04/06/2010," accessed January 26, 2016
