Stanley Tookie Williams is a convicted murderer and a resident of California's death row. His 2005 plea for clemency made him a national celebrity and turned his case into a talking point for discussions on the death penalty, civil rights and race relations. Williams, whose claim to fame was co-founding the street gang known as Crips, was convicted and sentenced to death in 1981 for four murders during two separate robberies in 1979. His bad behavior in prison led to more than six years of solitary confinement, during which, Williams says, he realized the error of his ways. Williams pledged to warn others about the downside of the gangster lifestyle, and went on to write several books, including a memoir, Blue Rage, Black Redemption, and the Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence book series for children. After years of claiming prosecutorial misconduct and racial discrimination, he lost his final appeal for a new trial on 11 October 2005 and was scheduled to be executed 13 December 2005. Several celebrities were drawn to his case and their attempt to forestall his execution made headlines. Famous people who rallied to the cause included Jesse Jackson and movie star Jamie Foxx (Foxx portrayed Williams in the 2004 movie, Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story). Williams's plea for clemency was heard by California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.