Seminole Co. man on death row says DNA evidence proves his innocence

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — A Seminole County man sentenced to death for murdering a mother and daughter is trying to convince a court he didn't do it. He's pointing the finger at the younger victim's daughter.

Clemente Aguirre was convicted of the 2004 murders but he now says new evidence proves that Samantha Williams is the real killer.

In court Wednesday, Williams spoke openly about her history of mental illness and talked about how sometimes she used her bare hands, and even her head to break windows in the trailer she shared with her mother and grandmother.

Williams spent just over two hours on the stand, sometimes putting her head down, yawning at times and smiling while playing with a laser pointer. But she became emotional when asked about her relationship with her mother.

"You loved your mother?" and attorney asked.

"Yes," said Williams.

"But sometimes she wasn't a good mother?" the attorney asked.

"She was a great mother," said Williams.

Attorneys representing Aguirre are pointing the finger at Williams for the murders of her mother and grandmother in 2004.

The two women were found stabbed to death in their trailer near Altamonte Springs. Williams' mother had 129 knife wounds.

Aguirre was their neighbor. He was convicted for the crime in 2006 and is now on death row. But attorneys said new DNA evidence shows Williams' blood was found at the scene.

In court Wednesday she was asked about the blood.

"I sneeze, I get a bloody nose, there's my DNA. I lived there 26 years, how would my DNA not be there?" said Williams.

To support Williams' claim, the state presented photos showing that the home where the murders happened was filthy.

Williams testified that it was rarely ever cleaned, making it entirely possible for her DNA to still be around.

She admitted to fighting with her mother on the night before the murders, but said she stormed off.

Williams said she stayed at her boyfriend's house the night of the murders. She also testified that she's been detained for mental evaluations about 60 times, but insisted she's only been a threat to herself, not others.

Testimony in the case will continue Thursday morning

WFTV