Murder Conviction Upheld By State Appeals Court

A man serving a life sentence for the murders of a Binghamton woman and her daughter back in 2002 had a challenge of his sentence denied in a state appeals court. 45-year-old Robert Williams Jr. was convicted in the deaths of 51-year-old Valerie Spears and her 14-year-old daughter Devin at their South Washington Street home. Williams was convicted in 2005 of three counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison, but Williams challenged a burglary charge that he was given, saying it was unlawful. The court denied the appeal. According to police, Williams was a part-time bounty hunter and was hired by Spears’ son-in-law, Vernon Parker, to commit the murders.