Font ResizeTravon Williams, 33, claimed the will was drafted two days before his father's execution at San Quentin State Prison on Dec. 13, 2005, and should be ruled invalid because the beneficiary had a hand in its creation.
In a proceeding in Marin Superior Court, Judge James Ritchie ruled in favor of Barbara Becnel, 56, of Richmond, the woman named by Tookie Williams to serve as the executor and sole recipient of his estate.
Judge Ritchie determined Williams freely signed a will.
The ruling means Becnel can move ahead with legal proceedings to settle the estate in probate court.
Becnel argued the senior Williams had worked with several attorneys in drafting the will and signed it freely, according to court records.
She argued Williams chose to leave nothing to his son or any other living relative.
"He wanted Petitioner Becnel to receive all his tangible property, intangible property and intangible intellectual property," a memorandum states.
Asked outside the courtroom about the value of Tookie Williams' estate, both Becnel and her attorney, Keith Bartel, said they did not know. The assets will be determined during probate proceedings.
Tookie Williams was convicted of four murders in 1981 and sentenced to death. He was a rebellious prisoner until he turned his life around in the 1990s,
He was executed despite calls for clemency by anti-death penalty advocates and a campaign based on his redemption that was spearheaded by Becnel.
According to court documents, Becnel first got in touch with Williams in the fall of 1992, when she was writing a book about the history of the Crips and Bloods youth gangs. During a subsequent interview, Williams asked Becnel to help him steer children away from gangs.
Williams had helped to create the Crips and, while in prison, began to regret the death and destruction the gang's existence had caused, Becnel said.
The two began to collaborate and in April 1993, Becnel brought a videocamera to San Quentin to tape what she called a historic "gang-truce summit speech."
Becnel also worked to have Williams released from solitary confinement, where he had been held for more than six years.
She worked with Williams to develop and co-author the series of anti-gang books.
Becnel also was the person most responsible for the television movie "Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story," starring Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx.
She worked with Williams during the clemency process and was able to gain support from a wide range of celebrities and others.
In contesting the will, Travon Williams accused Becnel of profiting from her relationship with his father, economically and professionally, because of the publicity she received being associated with the senior Williams.
Stacie Nelson, Travon Williams' Oakland-based attorney, did not return telephone calls seeking comment.
Reach Nancy Isles Nation at civiccenter@neteze.com.
