Williams, now 34, had been 19 at the time of the robbery and had already spent time in youth correctional facilities. He and a co-defendant were linked to a string of other robberies. Denver Senior Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Abraham described the case as especially serious because of the hostage and Williams’ juvenile record.

“We’ve got to balance public safety versus the age of the person, the likelihood of rehabilitation,” Abraham said.

Williams said Abraham had once predicted that robbery would be “out of his system” by the time he became eligible for parole. Under his original sentence, that would not have been until 2034.

While incarcerated in several state prisons, Williams earned a communications certificate, read extensively and began writing. He said he wanted to change whether or not it helped him get released, and found mentors among people who led classes and workouts in prison.

In August 2023, Williams sent Abraham a 70-page package documenting his accomplishments, including certificates and a 12-month re-entry plan. In a letter, Williams wrote that he had worked to replace the mindset that led him into trouble with “a foundation of positivity, responsibility and contribution.”

Abraham said he had never received a comparable account of a person’s work toward change in nearly 25 years as a prosecutor. He contacted the Denver District Attorney’s Office conviction review unit and later spoke with the Radio Shack employee, who Abraham said supported considering Williams’ release.

Abraham also said he viewed Williams’ conduct during the robbery as distinct from that of his co-defendant, who received a 40-year sentence. The victim had described differences in how the two men treated him, Abraham said.

With an attorney’s help, Williams sought reconsideration. A judge reduced his sentence from 30 years to 24 years. Because of the type of crime, Williams’ prison time-served credits could not be applied to the revised sentence. Abraham and Williams’ attorney then worked with him on a new plea agreement that allowed him to seek parole, which he received in 2026.

Abraham said he considered the decision carefully and stands by supporting it. “What he’s done since then, there’s no risk here in my mind,” he said.

After his release, Williams became involved with the Denver district attorney’s diversion program and spoke with young people in the city’s Handgun Intervention Program. He left a halfway house in September and is living with his mother in northeast Denver while on five years of parole. He can apply to have the parole period shortened after 18 months if he has no issues.

Williams is also working for the Alternate Defense Council, supporting defense attorneys with casework, and plans to publish more children’s books. He says the books address emotional challenges he struggled to manage as a child, including grief after his father died when he was 9. Williams has written 16 books, along with four others he self-published; all were written in prison and illustrated by an incarcerated artist serving a life sentence.