{"id":11016,"date":"2023-10-12T15:33:11","date_gmt":"2023-10-12T15:33:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=11016"},"modified":"2023-10-12T15:33:11","modified_gmt":"2023-10-12T15:33:11","slug":"pearlie-gets-her-day-in-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/10\/12\/pearlie-gets-her-day-in-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Pearlie gets her day in court"},"content":{"rendered":"
On Tuesday, Oct. 3, Pearlie Williams, 63, sat silently in the front row of Courtroom 4D at the Durham County Courthouse, waiting to be called for the final hearing of her arson case. Wearing a crisp cream pantsuit and a black cloth face mask embellished with the words \u201cI can\u2019t breathe,\u201d Williams squinted against the harsh overhead light.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Williams, who is partially blind from cataracts and glaucoma, has trudged half a mile on foot to the Durham County Courthouse four times since May. Her trials have been continued for a number of reasons. During her last visit in September, prosecutors said they could not co<\/span>ntact California <\/span>Commercial Investment Companies, which manages her apartment complex, to obtain the surveillance footage \u201cincriminating\u201d her.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Charged with arson and threatened with eviction as a result, Williams has maintained her innocence. The possibility of losing her home has kept her up at night, though.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cMentally, it is so draining,\u201d Williams said. \u201cI have lost weight behind this\u2026 I have lost sleep behind this.\u201d Williams postponed surgery on her right eye, hoping to be in the best physical condition for her final hearing. On two occasions, a car nearly hit her while walking to court.<\/span><\/p>\n
When the court went into recess, Williams sat on a bench in the hall outside the courtroom. She was the first to arrive that morning and wanted a break. She looked down at\u00a0 her lap, cried and muttered repeatedly: \u201cDo I look like an arsonist?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
***\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Williams has not touched or cooked in her oven since the beginning of the summer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
In May, Williams, who has lived at J.J. Henderson Senior Apartments for more than seven years, burned a bagel in her kitchen. When it caught fire, she smothered the flames immediately and disposed of the remains in a communal trashroom, she said. Days later, she was charged with arson. California Commercial Investment Companies, which manages J.J. Henderson, posted an eviction notice on her door, giving her five days to vacate.<\/span><\/p>\n