Bevelyn Williams: The Cost of Standing for Life

ALCAP President Greg Davis recently interviewed Rickey Williams on Priority Talk Radio. Rickey shared the heartbreaking story of why he had to drive his wife, Bevelyn, to a federal prison in Aliceville, Alabama. Her sentence is for 3 years and 5 months.

Bevelyn’s story:

In 2020, Bevelyn Williams held a “Jesus Matters” event in New York City. It was a public event with prayer and preaching, and it involved denouncing abortion and standing for life. It was next to an abortion clinic. There was no violence. There were no arrests. Afterwards, New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Bevelyn; in response, Bevelyn stopped protesting at that clinic location.

Two years pass. Bevelyn gets married to Rickey. Roe is overturned in 2022, and pro-life activists are often unjustly targeted by the Biden Administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ). Using this incident, AG Letitia James pursued Bevelyn Williams through claiming she violated the FACE Act (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances), and the resulting legal battle was skewed against Bevelyn from the start. For example, the judge presiding over the trial did not allow crucial evidence that would have helped exonerate Bevelyn to be shown to the jury or for the jury to hear an explanation of the First Amendment.

The prosecution built their case on some of Bevelyn’s words that included her desire to “terrorize [this clinic]” and other similar statements. The counter argument from the defense was that Bevelyn was speaking of spiritual and ideological warfare in those instances, and not physical harm. The prosecution also claimed that she blocked the clinic entrance and injured someone’s hand.

In the end, Bevelyn Williams was convicted and sentenced to 41 months in prison. On October 16th, Rickey drove his wife to the federal prison in Aliceville, Alabama.

There is hope that Bevelyn will be pardoned by President-elect Donald Trump. They are also in the midst of appealing certain bail details of the judge’s ruling.

For more information and to hear the full story, listen here.