On Monday, February 25, 2013, at the United States Penitentiary Canaan, Senior Officer Eric J. Williams was brutally murdered.  Senior Officer Williams was single handedly supervising 118 high security inmates when an unprovoked and cowardly inmate attacked him.   Senior Officer Williams was unarmed when he was repeatedly struck and stabbed with a sharpened home-made weapon by the inmate.  Eric was just 34 years old.

          Senior Officer Williams graduated with a Criminal Justice degree from King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, PA.  His law enforcement career began as a Loss Prevention Officer; he continued on to Jefferson Township as a Pennsylvania Police Officer.  On September 11, 2011, he joined the Federal Bureau of Prisons at USP Canaan. 

          Prior to his death, Eric purchased and began renovations at a cottage near Lily Lake, a state owned lake about 15 minutes from his family homestead in Nanticoke, PA.  Eric was an avid sportsman.  He was loved hunting, fishing, soccer and bowling.    Eric is survived by his parents, Donald and Jean, and his siblings, brothers Mark and Kyle and sister Lauren. 

          Eric’s parents aggressively advocate at local, state and federal levels to provide correctional officers freedom from dangerous conditions.  The Race for Justice is an honor to Senior Officer Williams’ ultimate sacrifice by promoting safer conditions for all correctional officers.