William Wells was sentenced to death and remains of Florida death row for the murder of a fellow inmate. According to court documents William Wells with the help of Leo Boatman stabbed to death William Chapman at Florida State Prison. Now William Wells who was convicted of five murders committed in 2003 would attempt to murder another inmate in 2008 and would murder another inmate in 2011 before the last murder that took place in 2019. William Wells told the court that he wanted the death sentence for the last murder as he was tired of living in prison
William Wells 2021 Information
| DC Number: | 326252 |
|---|---|
| Name: | WELLS, WILLIAM E III |
| Race: | WHITE |
| Sex: | MALE |
| Birth Date: | 10/07/1975 |
| Initial Receipt Date: | 10/05/2004 |
| Current Facility: | FLORIDA STATE PRISON |
| Current Custody: | CLOSE |
| Current Release Date: | DEATH SENTENCE |
William Wells More News
A man convicted of murdering another inmate at Florida State Prison in Bradford County was sentenced to death Tuesday, May 25, 2021.
45 year-old William Wells III was already serving multiple life sentences for murders in Bradford and Duval counties when prosecutors say he murdered William Chapman.
They say he, with the help of fellow inmate Leo Boatman, held down Chapman and stabbed him with metal shanks.
TV20 talked to Chapman’s sister back in 2019. Her and her husband blamed the Florida Department of Corrections for negligence in her brother’s death. The couple said Chapman should not have been in the same room as the men who killed him.
Wells pled guilty to the crime, saying he killed the man in order to get on death row. Later, he asked for leniency, expressing remorse.
The sentencing process started in August, 2020. The State of Florida provided evidence of Wells history of violence, dating back to 2003 and including multiple murder and attempted murder cases.
His change of heart did not sway judge Mark W. Moseley who sentenced Wells to death. During sentencing, Mosely said, “The aggravating circumstances far outweigh the mitigating circumstances which the Court has heard and considered.”
Boatman is still awaiting trial. The sentence is subject to automatic review by the Florida Supreme Court within two years.
