TYLER, Texas — Last week, Mytrez Woolen was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole for the death of Starrville Methodist Church Pastor Mark McWilliams In January 2021.
Following the conviction and sentencing, his lawyer, Jeff Haas, said Woolen wanted to plead self-defense and chose to testify so that his account could be heard.
"That is something he decided. You know he contended right from the onset, and it was a case of self-defense, that he felt like his life was in danger," Haas said. "The law of self-defense is very complicated, The only way that it could be presented to a jury is, if there was some evidence of it, and the only evidence there could be, the only source of the evidence with him."
Haas said Woolen's case will be turned over to an appellate lawyer to see if there are grounds for a retrial. He said it could be a number of years before the legal battle ends.