Andre Williams

On April 12th, Andre Williams passed away at the age of 78. From Butner, North Carolina, he was a compassionate man who loved his family very much. He is survived by his wife and his son, Andre Williams Jr., who miss him dearly.

On April 5th, Andre tested positive for COVID-19 at the Butner Medium I FCI, the federal correctional facility with the greatest number of COVID-19 deaths as of August 3rd. He was relocated to a local hospital on April 6th. According to his son, Andre had coronary disease, which put him at high risk for COVID-19, and he was granted compassionate release. However, it was too late. After a week of fighting the virus, Andre passed away on April 12th. As Andre’s son drove to Butner to pick his father up in April, his mother called him to let him know he could stop; his father had passed away. Asked about his father’s passing, Andre Jr. said, “I feel like it could have been avoided… they got him in an unhealthy environment.” 

Andre’s tragic passing was preventable. As the coronavirus continues to spread in facilities across the nation, another day of passivity, another delay could result in more unnecessary deaths. Andre is missed by all who knew him. May he rest in peace.  

This memorial was written by MOL team member Claire Lee with information from reporting by Justin Wm. Moyer and Neena Satija of The Washington Post and WBTV Web Staff at WECT News, an obituary by Legacy.com, and a press release by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.