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<p>The federal inmate convicted for the murder of correctional officer Eric Williams does not want to appear in person for his sentencing next month.</p><p>Jessie Con-ui, 40, has been held in the super-maximum security prison in Florence, Colo., for the most dangerous of federal prisoners since his June conviction. He filed notice last week that he is waiving his right to personally appear in court. In a related motion filed Thursday with U.S. District Judge A. Richard Caputo, defense attorneys asked that Con-ui be allowed to appear by video. The attorneys said the prosecution concurs with Con-ui&#8217;s request.</p><p>&#8220;Waiving my physical presence is a decision I have reached freely and voluntarily after consultation with my attorneys. No one has threatened or coerced me into making this decision,&#8221; Con-ui said in his filing.</p><p>Caputo set Con-ui&#8217;s sentencing for 10 a.m. Oct. 12 at the federal courthouse in Wilkes-Barre. The judge will impose a mandatory life sentence on Con-ui for killing Williams, 34, of Nanticoke, while he was on duty at the U.S. Penitentiary, Canaan, in Wayne County in 2013.</p><p>Con-ui was present at his trial earlier this year and had been housed at SCI-Dallas in Jackson Township. A jury found him guilty of first-degree murder. But in the penalty phase that followed in July, the jury could not unanimously agree on a death sentence.</p><p>Con-ui&#8217;s lengthy criminal record and his brutal behavior in and out of prison warranted the death penalty, prosecutors said. After serving his federal sentence at Canaan, Con-ui was to be transferred to Arizona to serve a life sentence for a 2002 gang-related murder.</p><p>In his defense, Con-ui&#8217;s attorneys said the Philippines native lived in poverty and experienced domestic violence starting at an early age.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_Eric-Williams-cmyk-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Williams </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_Eric-Williams-cmyk-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Williams </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_conui-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Con-ui </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_conui-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Con-ui </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLNews</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Con-ui waives in-person appearance for sentencing in guard’s murder