Tulsa man re-charged for 2014 murder after new DNA evidence emerges

Prosecutors have filed charges against a Tulsa man for the second time after obtaining new DNA evidence in a 2014 murder case.

The man, Percy Williams, was initially charged with the murder of 56-year-old Helen Johnson in 2014, but the case was dropped to allow further investigation.

The Tulsa Homicide Unit, known for having one of the highest clearance rates in the country, re-investigates unsolved cases in the hope of making arrests.

Johnson was found stabbed to death in her apartment near 61st Street and Peoria in 2014. Her body was discovered two weeks after her death and was badly decomposed.

“When you have an unsolved case, it eats away at you,” said Lt. Watkins, a Tulsa homicide detective. “You don't forget it and you keep coming back to it to find new approaches.”

A new affidavit states that Williams was the last person to see Johnson alive. Williams, who had been in and out of prison since 1995 for various drug offenses, was wearing an ankle monitor at the time of Johnson's death. The affidavit states that the monitor placed him in Johnson's apartment around the time she was killed.

In 2014, Williams was charged with her murder, but the case was dismissed due to evidence problems.

“The charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning they were able to refile them at a later date because they didn't get some evidence back in time,” Lt. Watkins explained.

Lt. Watkins and his team reviewed the case and analyzed every detail. They are now confident that the DNA evidence will help solve Johnson's murder.

Williams was again charged with first-degree murder. Investigators noted that this case is one of many unsolved cases they are currently investigating.

“Our cold case unit does extensive research into old cases to find out if DNA was forgotten or overlooked or collected at a time when we didn't know that DNA was important,” Watkins said.

Williams is currently being held without bail in the Tulsa County Jail.