Tennessee Man Who Once Sat On Death Row Arrested On Tampering With Evidence Charge

A Tennessee man who once sat on death row for a murder conviction is now back in jail.

Stephen Leon Williams, 71, was arrested during a traffic stop in Kingsport, Tennessee on Jan. 2, and he is charged with tampering with evidence, a parole violation and drug charges.

Police have not released specific details as to why Williams was arrested as they said it's an open investigation. They have not said what evidence he is accused of tampering with, and there is no word if the arrest has anything to do with his previous record.

Williams received the death sentence for the 1981 murder of a Hawkins County man. The sentence was later reduced to life in prison due to a trial error, and he eventually made parole.

According to WCYB, Williams was arrested once again on a drug conviction in 2013 and was released again in 2018. In January 2020, police found a woman's bones buried under a home in which Williams once lived on Fulton Avenue in Kingsport.