After serving half of his sentence, a man convicted of raping and murdering a toddler has been released from prison and will be residing in Crystal Lake, authorities said.
Cayce M. Williams, 47, was released on Thursday from the Dixon Correction Center after serving almost 24 years in jail and prison, which is around half of his original 48-year sentence.
Williams pleaded guilty to one count of murder and one count of predatory criminal sexual assault in 2006 in Elgin in Kane County.
He had been charged with the death of 20-month-old Quortney Kley, who was his then-girlfriend’s daughter.
Williams’ girlfriend at the time, Margaret Morgan, was at work on February 25, 1997, and the man was tasked with babysitting Quortney and her sister.
Williams sexually assaulted Quortney and beat her to death. He took the toddler to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Because of Illinois truth-in-sentencing guidelines and good behavior in prison, Williams only served half his sentence.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said that Williams, who has to register with Illinois as a child murderer and sexual predator, registered his new residence as being in unincorporated Crystal Lake.
The local school district that is near Williams’ new residence was notified of registration, police said.
“I understand the resident’s concerns with Williams’ release into our community. I want to reassure the residents that we proactively and continually verify all of our registered sexual offender’s information to ensure that they comply with the Illinois Sexual Offender Registration Act,” McHenry County Sheriff Bill Prim said in a statement.
The sheriff’s office refused to release the address in Crystal Lake where Williams is residing. The Illinois State Police have not yet listed Williams’ public sex offender registration information.