DATE: Tuesday, August 26, 1997              TAG: 9708260377

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LAURA LaFAY, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   67 lines

MENTALLY RETARDED MAN DIES IN MECKLENBURG JAIL THE NORFOLK KILLER, SERVING 53 YEARS, APPARENTLY HANGED HIMSELF IN HIS CELL.

A mentally retarded Norfolk man who was serving a 53-year prison sentence for murder died last week after apparently hanging himself in a cell at Mecklenburg Correctional Center in Boydton.

Teko Williams was found dead in his cell the morning of Aug. 21, said David Botkins, a spokesman for the Virginia Department of Corrections. The department, Botkins said, is investigating the death.

Williams, 21, was 17 and living with his great-grandmother on Tidewater Drive in Norfolk when he pleaded guilty to the 1994 second-degree murder of shopkeeper Robert Boyd. A co-defendant also pleaded guilty, although both blamed the other for the actual shooting.

At the time of his conviction, Williams was ``emotionally, behaviorally and intellectually functioning at a primitive level,'' according to a court-ordered evaluation by Richmond neuropsychologist Edward Peck III.

Nevertheless, Norfolk Circuit Judge John E. Clarkson ruled that Williams was competent to stand trial.

While his case was pending, Williams twice tried to kill himself, said Jennifer Stanton, a Norfolk-based lawyer who was appointed to defend him. The first time, Stanton said, Williams slit his wrists in a juvenile court holding cell. The second time, he swallowed a razor blade in Norfolk City Jail.

Since his conviction, said Stanton, Williams - whom she described as having ``the mental capacity of an 8-year-old'' - has called her many times from prison asking for help.

``Basically, he would ask me to get him out of there, which I couldn't do. He knew he had some mental problems and he wasn't getting any help.''

At one point, Stanton said, a concerned inmate sent her a letter about Williams.

``Teko's in prison with some of the worst inmates in the system,'' said the letter. `` . . . Because of his extreme naivete, he's a perfect candidate for extortion, theft and manipulation.''

Mecklenburg prisoners who knew Williams described him as extremely mentally ill. In recent months, said prisoner John Colclasure, Williams had begun eating feces and smearing feces around his cell. As a result of that behavior, he had been chained to his cot in the prison's segregated punishment unit for most of the final two weeks of his life.

``He just couldn't cope,'' said Colclasure. ``You got a lot of dudes in segregation that just can't cope.''

A few days before Williams' death, Botkins said, guards took him to another building and put him in a different punishment cell.

``This particular inmate was not in restraints for several days prior to being found dead,'' Botkins said. ``He has been in them in the past because this is an inmate who has been problematic ever since he was incarcerated. This particular inmate has a history of violent, abusive behavior toward staff and other inmates.''

That doesn't sound like Williams, Stanton said.

``He had hallucinations. He never attacked anyone. He was more concerned about hurting himself than anyone else. I think this is a prime case that shows the really bad things about the system,'' Stanton said.

``It's one thing to incarcerate someone who understands why they're incarcerated and has an ability to comprehend how long they'll be there and things of that nature. Teko just didn't comprehend any of that.

``They always tell you in law school, `Don't get personally involved in cases.' But this is one case, where I knew there wasn't going to be any justice, even if he was the shooter. He was just going to waste away or kill himself.''

Williams' death, she said, ``doesn't surprise me, but it saddens me a great deal.'' KEYWORDS: HANGING SUICIDE JAIL

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