Nathan Myers and his uncle served 43 years in prison for a murder they did not commit.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The video attached to this story is from a previous, related report.
The Jacksonville man who spent more than 40 years in prison for a crime he did not commit is being remembered as a loving and kind man.
Clifford Williams died last week at the age of 80.
First Coast News was there in 2019 when Williams and his nephew, Nathan Myers, had their 1976 murder convictions overturned.
A 10-month review of the case by the then-newly- created Conviction Integrity Review Unit by State Attorney Melissa Nelson’s office determined “There was no credible evidence of guilt.”
Williams’ family tells us he died last week – almost five years after his release.
First Coast News talked with Myers, who says he kept his work to free his uncle a secret until the day of their hearing.
“I fought so hard or tried so hard to get our freedom and it hurt so bad, because like I say, he didn’t know we was going home until the lawyer came to see him, because I wouldn’t let him know,” Myers said. “I didn’t tell him what I was working on in prison.”
Myers and Williams served time in different prisons.
He says he last saw Williams at a family party a couple months ago and cherishes the time and conversations they shared after their release. “Years ago, before he left prison, he gave his life to God. He changed his life. I’m going to miss him. I’m going to miss him.”
Clifford Williams’s funeral is set for this Saturday, January 20 at Mount Bethel Baptist Church on Helena street in Jacksonville.
The public is invited. It starts at 11 a.m.
