His 180-Year Prison Sentence Was Cut After Saving a Guard’s Life. Years Later, He’s Still Waiting to Go Home.

A prisoner's sentence was cut for saving guard’s life. Years later, he’s still not free

Derek Williams, 51, has been spending a lot of time thinking about certain numbers.He committed 12 armed robberies in and around Milwaukee 30 years ago. In 1997, the North Side native was sentenced to 15 years in prison for each robbery – a total of 180 years.In 2023, a Milwaukee County judge cut that sentence in half after Williams stopped an attack of a correctional officer who was being stabbed with a sharpened pen. The reduction in his sente…

His 180-year prison sentence was cut after saving a guard’s life. Years later, he’s still waiting to go home.

Reading Time: 5 minutes Derek Williams, 51, has been spending a lot of time thinking about certain numbers. He committed 12 armed robberies in and around Milwaukee 30 years ago. In 1997, the North Side native was sentenced to 15 years in prison for each robbery – a total of 180 years. In 2023, a Milwaukee County judge cut that sentence in half after Williams stopped an attack of a correctional officer who was being stabbed with a sharpened pen. …

His 180-Year Prison Sentence was Cut After Saving a Guard’s Life. Years Later, He’s Still Waiting to Go Home.

By Devin Blake This story was originally published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, where you can find other stories reporting on fifteen city neighborhoods in Milwaukee. Visit milwaukeenns.org. Derek Williams, 51, has been spending a lot of time thinking about certain numbers. He committed 12 armed robberies in and around Milwaukee 30 years ago. In […] The post His 180-Year Prison Sentence was Cut After Saving a Guard’s Life. Years Later…