Sean Williams’ 3rd attorney asks to withdraw from the case
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — Accused child rapist Sean Williams’ federal defense attorney has filed a motion to withdraw from representing the former Johnson City business owner, two weeks before Williams’ first of two scheduled trials.
Joseph McAfee is the third attorney federal authorities have appointed for Williams since last May, when David Leonard was appointed to represent him on what was then one charge of being a felon in possession of ammunition. McAfee was appointed in December 2023 after Judge Ronnie Greer approved Bryce McKenzie’s motion to withdraw.
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Earlier this month, Williams himself filed a motion to fire McAfee, which Judge Greer denied. McAfee has filed a sealed brief outlining his reasoning for wanting to leave the case.
Williams dismissed his first attorney David Leonard when he faced only a charge of being a felon in possession of ammunition. While that charge has since been dismissed, Williams has since been indicted on three counts of production of child pornography, one count of attempted escape and one count of escape.
Judge Greer moved the child pornography production trial date from May 21 to Aug. 27 in early April but retained May 14 as the date for his trial on the escape and attempted escape charges. Williams escaped on Oct. 18, 2023, from a transit van that was taking him from a Kentucky jail to a hearing that was to determine whether McKenzie could drop out of his case.
He was the subject of a multi-state manhunt that ended with his capture in Florida on Nov. 21, 2023.
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Williams, a former downtown Johnson City resident, is alleged to have sexually assaulted at least three children at this fifth-story apartment. He’s also alleged, though not yet charged — with drugging and raping or sexually assaulting more than 50 women at the apartment, with cameras set up around his home recording the alleged assaults.
Williams faces multiple child rape and child sexual assault charges in state court. He was indicted on those charges and the pornography production charges in September 2023.
Williams’ alleged serial sex crimes are at the center of a 2022 federal civil lawsuit against Johnson City and members of its police department and a second suit filed in 2023. Both were filed before alleged video and photo evidence surfaced, and Williams was never charged with any sex crimes by Johnson City police.
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