By Marcellus Williams, a 55-year-old Missouri death row inmate who has maintained his innocence for nearly 24 years, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT, following refusals by the governor and state Supreme Court to intervene.
Williams was convicted of the 1998 murder of Felicia Gayle, a former newspaper reporter found stabbed to death in her home. His case has drawn attention due to ongoing claims of innocence and concerns about potentially executing an innocent person.
On Monday, the Missouri Supreme Court unanimously declined to halt Williams’ execution, stating that St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell “failed to demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence Williams’ actual innocence or constitutional error at the original criminal trial that undermines the confidence in the judgment of the original criminal trial.”
Governor Mike Parson issued a statement supporting the court’s decision, saying, “Mr. Williams has exhausted due process and every judicial avenue, including over 15 hearings attempting to argue his innocence and overturn his conviction.”
The case has been marked by legal complexities and controversies. Bell argued in January that DNA testing of the murder weapon could exclude Williams as Gayle’s killer. However, new testing revealed the evidence had been contaminated, complicating Williams’ exoneration efforts.
Williams’ attorney, Jonathan Potts, alleged during Monday’s hearing that a prosecutor struck a juror from the pool “in part because he was a young Black man with glasses.” The Missouri Attorney General’s office disputed this claim.
On September 18, Williams’ team filed a clemency petition to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing his due process rights were denied during the legal battle to save his life. Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens had previously halted Williams’ execution indefinitely and formed a board to investigate his case. Gov. Parson later dissolved this board and revoked the stay.
The NAACP and the Council on American-Islamic Relations have called on Gov. Parson to halt the execution. Tricia Rojo Bushnell, an attorney for Williams, stated, “Missouri is poised to execute an innocent man, an outcome that calls into question the legitimacy of the entire criminal justice system.”
The case has also highlighted political tensions between St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, a Democrat running for Congress, and Republican state Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who is seeking reelection.
As the execution approaches, advocates continue to fight for Williams’ life, with Bell stating, “Even for those who disagree on the death penalty, when there is a shadow of a doubt of any defendant’s guilt, the irreversible punishment of execution should not be an option.
