A Northern California paralegal who once worked for a public defender's office in a second-chance program for recently released inmates has been charged with killing someone he thought was a police informant.
William M. Edwards was expected to appear Tuesday on charges of conspiracy and murder in Contra Costa County Superior Court in Martinez.
Prosecutors say the 38-year-old fatally shot a 22-year-old man he wrongly believed was a witness in a gang investigation. Investigators say Edwards is a member of an Oakland, California gang, according to court records.
The public defender's office told the East Bay Times it hired Edwards for a temporary position in 2016 after he served a 15-year prison sentence for manslaughter.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
