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<p>SCRANTON &#8212; Speaking softly Wednesday to the jury charged with determining whether he lives or dies, Jessie Con-ui confessed that while he felt shame for murdering prison guard Eric Williams, he couldn&#8217;t explain why he did it.</p><p>Con-ui, the inmate facing a possible death sentence for stabbing and beating Williams to death inside U.S. Penitentiary Canaan in 2013, apologized to Williams&#8217; loved ones for taking the slain guard&#8217;s life before urging the jury to spare his own for the sake of his family.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m so sorry that my actions caused so much heartache and pain,&#8221; said Con-ui, gripping a piece of yellow notebook paper and leaning into a microphone on the defense table. &#8220;I&#8217;m always going to feel shame for taking an innocent man&#8217;s life.&#8221;</p><p>He continued: &#8220;I wish I could take back what I did, but sadly that&#8217;s not in my power. I wish I could give a better explanation to why this happened, but I can&#8217;t because I don&#8217;t know.&#8221;</p><p>Con-ui&#8217;s statement contradicts prior testimony, including his own words, that indicated he killed Williams because he felt disrespected.</p><p>The twice-convicted killer said he was sorry for the suffering he caused Williams&#8217; family, friends and coworkers, many of whom looked on silently during the roughly five-minute allocution, which is an unsworn statement to a jury with no cross-examination.</p><p>&#8220;I feel for them,&#8221; Con-ui said.</p><p>Con-ui asked the jury to consider the effect a death sentence would have, if not on him, then on his family. His request came just minutes after his young sons, Jessie Jr. and Jadin, took the witness stand on his behalf.</p><p>&#8220;Hopefully, my kids will learn from my mistakes,&#8221; Con-ui said.</p><p>Following the statement, Con-ui&#8217;s sister, Maria Mask, told the jury her brother&#8217;s execution would &#8220;break my heart.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I know he&#8217;s made bad choices, and I know he regrets them, but the past is the past and there&#8217;s nothing he can do,&#8221; Mask said.</p><p>Con-ui, 40, was convicted earlier this month for the murder of the 34-year-old Williams, of Nanticoke. According to testimony, Con-ui told guards shortly after the ambush-style attack that he killed Williams over a &#8220;disrespect issue.&#8221;</p><p>When Con-ui was removed from his cell following the murder, witnesses say he blurted out, &#8220;Hey man, I am sorry but I had to do what I had to do. I am sick of all your people&#8217;s disrespect.&#8221;</p><p>In 2002, Con-ui was convicted of killing another man outside a laundromat in Phoenix, Arizona. He was sentenced to serve life in prison for the murder following the completion of an 11-year federal prison term for drug trafficking.</p><p>Whether Con-ui will be sent to death row or given life in prison without parole could be determined soon.</p><p>The jury is expected to begin deliberations in the capital murder trial late next week, U.S. District Judge A. Richard Caputo said Wednesday.</p><p>Caputo told the jury the defense is expected to call its final witness Thursday. Prosecutors will then call rebuttal witnesses. Closings are expected to take place July 6, the judge said.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_Con-ui-cmyk-23.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Con-ui </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_Con-ui-cmyk-23.jpg</photo0><caption0>Con-ui </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_Eric-Williams-17.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Eric Williams</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_Eric-Williams-17.jpg</photo1><caption1>Eric Williams</caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Inmate: &#8216;I&#8217;m always going to feel shame&#8217;</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Joe Dolinsky</p><p>jdolinsky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Joe Dolinsky at 570-991-6110 or on Twitter @JoeDolinskyTL</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Con-ui speaks: ‘I wish I could take back what I did, but sadly that’s not in my power’