Grief deepens for 'thrill killing' victim's family as California teen's murderer released under SB 1391

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA: Jae Williams, 29, was freed on November 27 by the orders of a juvenile court, after being convicted as a teenager decades ago for the murder of his classmate.

The release comes under Senate Bill 1391, a controversial state law that prohibits minors from being charged as adults, regardless of the severity of their crime.

Williams was convicted in 2014 at the age of 15, along with his coconspirator Randy Thompson, then 16, and was sentenced to imprisonment for 26 years for the stabbing death of their Santa Teresa High School classmate, 15-year-old Michael Russell.

How did the 'thrill killing' take place?

Back in 2009, Williams and Thompson lured Russell into William's backyard on November 10 under the pretense of smoking pot.

Court documents state that the two convicts then took turns to stab the victim to death.

The tragedy was labeled as a "thrill killing" by local media because the two teenagers apparently wanted to experience what it felt like to kill someone.

The murder was meticulously planned, and the two teenagers had journals where they drew doodles and wrote descriptions of horrific acts, according to Fox News Digital.

Scotty Storey, the Russell family's attorney, told the publication, "One chilling aspect of this case is that Jae and Randy selectively ‘befriended’ Mikey for the exclusive purpose of murdering him — it was a long-term plan to gain Mikey's trust so they could get close to him."

Both teens were initially convicted on murder charges.

Impact of Senate Bill 1391

In 2018, the State Senate passed SB 1391, a state law that outlawed charging teens under 16 as adults in criminal court.

In the case of Thompson, who was 16 at the time of the murder, the new law was not applicable. He is currently being held at San Quentin State Prison with his first parole consideration set for May 2028.

However, for Williams, who was 15 at the time, the conviction was still in the balance. He was eligible for resentencing under SB 1391 because his case was on appeal when the law passed.

His case was transferred to juvenile court after the passage of SB 1391. According to court records, his scheduled release was delayed by a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge in 2021.

On November 20, after 13 years behind bars with stints in notorious facilities like San Quentin, Soledad, and Solano State Prisons, Williams was finally ordered released by the same court, reported The Mercury News.

Jae Williams' attorney argued that his client has reformed

Lewis Romero, Williams’ longtime attorney and an advocate for juvenile justice law, claimed that his client was an excellent example of someone who has truly reformed in the face of stark obstacles in the state prison system.

Williams had reportedly undergone counseling, earned his high school diploma, and read over 400 books. During his nearly 15 years of prison time, Williams has had no instance of violence, noted Romero.

“Not one single act of violence, he only did good. Nobody does that. This is our best predictor of release, the absence of violence. The question shouldn’t be what he will do once he’s released. We have 15 years to look at," stated Romero in an interview.

Michael Russell's family is struggling with Jae Williams' release

Cathy Russell, the victim's aunt, said during an interview, "Even if you know it’s coming, you can’t prepare yourself until it happens. We’ve had a lot of sleepless nights. To us, he’s the same person we saw from beginning to the end. It brings up everything with Michael. We think about what he would be doing and how he would be living his life now. It’s such a slap in the face when Michael is the one who should be here.”

Speaking with Fox News Digital, Cathy said, "We are literally broken again."

"You can't take a person who… ultimately wanted to see what it felt like to kill somebody… you can't take a person like that, put him in jail for 13 years… and think he'll be different. He's never shown any remorse. He's a heartless human being. I don't even like to call him a human being. He's a heartless monster," she stated of Williams, adding that "the community isn't safe with him in it — it's just a matter of time."

Victim's former teacher shares concern upon release of Jae Williams

"I guess I understand the rationale behind it in general. But for the safety of others, I think there's a line. If it's a violent crime, if there's a death involved, if there was proclaimed ‘I’m going to do this and it was fun'… I think there's cases where (age) shouldn't matter and the (law) shouldn't be applied," Russell's former eighth-grade teacher, who wished to remain unnamed, told Fox News.

"I know you can act a certain way and pretend in jail until you come back and be yourself," said the teacher, who also teaches adult classes in an area jail facility.

"To be completely honest with you, I'm slightly scared only because I've been so vocal against him over the past 14 years. I'm not afraid (Williams will) come after me, but it's a stupid fear in the back of my head. And I'm worried about vulnerable people he may ‘befriend,'" the teacher said.