No Appeal for Killer of Man Found Dead in Kuhnsville

A federal appeals court has upheld the 1985 murder conviction of a Bucks County man who was found guilty of killing a trucker whose body was discovered at an Upper Macungie truck stop in 1983.

Kenneth Williams, now 62, was convicted of first-degree murder and robbery in the death of Edward Miller, 22, of Ohio. Miller’s body was found in a trailer at the in Kuhnsville.

A Lehigh County jury sentenced Williams to death and Lehigh County Judge Carol K. McKinley upheld the conviction in 2003 but granted Williams a new trial on the punishment. She said there was sufficient evidence to support the convictions but that Williams was denied effective legal counsel because his trial lawyer – a former chief public defender --  did not investigate and show evidence that Williams’ mental health record of psychiatric hospitalizations might have led the jury to give him a life sentence, according to The Morning Call. 

In 2008, the state Supreme Court upheld the decision to set aside the death penalty.

In 2009, Williams was resentenced to life in prison and remains in the state prison at Graterford. 

Williams argued in his appeal that he was denied his right to effective assistance of counsel before his trial and that his due process rights were violated, according to a news release by the Lehigh County district attorney's office. 

On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit rejected those arguments.