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Kim Williams Pleads Guilty To Murder In Kaufman Killings

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KAUFMAN COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM)– Eric Williams' estranged wife and accomplice Kim Williams pled guilty on Tuesday morning to a reduced charge of first degree murder and agreed to a sentence of 40 years.

Her husband Eric Williams was sentenced to death Dec. 17 for the murders of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland, his wife Cynthia, and his top assistant Mark Hasse.

During victim impact statements on Tuesday, family members of the McClellands thanked Williams for testifying against her estranged husband, though they noted that she could have prevented the killings.

"You will serve your time, and we will go on with our lives," said Christina Bell, Mike McLelland's oldest daughter. "You got what you deserved."

During her husband's trial, Kim Williams testified that she was a "willing participant" in her husband's revenge killings.

She testified for more than two hours about her role in the murder plot. "His anger was my anger," she said.

Her testimony indicates she drove the getaway car in Hasse's slaying and helped to dispose of the weapons used in the killing of the McLellands at their home east of Dallas.

After killing the McLellands, the couple's mood, she said, was "happy, joyous."

She said Eric Williams had a hit list that included former state District Judge Glen Ashworth and Kaufman County District Attorney Erleigh Norville Wiley.

"He told me if he ever decided to take everybody out, he was going to kill me too and then kill himself," she said.

With Kim Williams' assistance, prosecutors had a gun linked to Hasse's death and a mask believed to have been worn by the gunman.

Eric Williams arrived on Death Row the day after being sentenced, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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