Missouri is set to execute Marcellus Williams, 55, by lethal injection at 6 p.m. (2300 GMT) Tuesday, despite doubts raised by the prosecutor’s office that secured his murder conviction 21 years ago.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene in the case Tuesday, following similar rejections by Missouri Governor Mike Parson and the state’s highest court.
Williams was convicted in 2003 for the 1998 murder of Felicia “Lisha” Gayle, a former newspaper reporter. He has consistently maintained his innocence.
St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Wesley Bell, whose office handled the original prosecution, sought to block the execution, citing concerns about the original trial. Bell questioned the reliability of key witnesses, alleged racial bias in jury selection, and noted new DNA testing found no trace of Williams’ DNA on the murder weapon.
Despite these concerns, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey opposed a recent agreement between prosecutors and Williams’ attorneys for a no-contest plea and life sentence. The state Supreme Court blocked this deal at Bailey’s request.
Governor Parson denied clemency on Monday, stating, “No jury nor court, including at the trial, appellate, and Supreme Court levels, have ever found merit in Mr. Williams’ innocence claims.”
Williams’ attorney, Tricia Rojo Bushnell of the Midwest Innocence Project, emphasized that Gayle’s family opposes the execution. “Missouri is poised to execute an innocent man, an outcome that calls into question the legitimacy of the entire criminal justice system,” she said. The case has reignited debate over the death penalty and the handling of potential wrongful convictions in the United States
