USA - North Carolina. Judge Arnold Jones vacated the death sentence of Marvin Williams, 50, black, for mental retardation

Superior Court Judge Arnold Jones vacated the death sentence of Marvin Williams, 50, black, who was convicted of murdering Theron Price in 1989 during a robbery. The law defines mental retardation as having an IQ below 70 and shows poor basic life skills. Williams has repeatedly scored below that on multiple tests. Williams becomes the 17th prisoner in North Carolina to avoid the death penalty under a 2001 state law that prohibits the execution of mentally retarded prisoners. Williams was resentenced to life in prison on the murder charge and a 30-year consecutive sentence for a related burglary conviction. Because he was sentenced under old structured sentencing guidelines, he can petition for parole in February 2016. In 1994, state law eliminated the possibility of parole on a life sentence. However, the parole commission is obligated to parole offenders who were sentenced under the previous guidelines. None of the 16 inmates taken off death row under the mental retardation statute have been released from prison.