Marcellus Williams, convicted of the 1998 murder of former reporter Lisha Gayle,
is set to be executed on Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT, after the Missouri Supreme Court rejected his latest plea to halt the execution.
Despite arguments raised by his defense regarding jury selection biases and the mishandling of evidence,
the court ruled that there is no substantial evidence to undermine his conviction.
Williams, 55, has consistently asserted his innocence in the 25 years since his arrest.
However, his latest appeal, which focused on procedural issues rather than innocence claims, was dismissed by the Missouri Supreme Court.
His lawyer argued that a Black juror was unjustly excluded from the trial based on racial bias and that the prosecution mishandled key evidence, but the court found these claims insufficient to halt the execution.
The court’s decision comes after nearly two decades of legal battles,
where multiple hearings, including state and federal appeals, failed to overturn the conviction.
Williams was convicted for the fatal stabbing of Gayle in her home in University City, a suburb of St. Louis. Gayle the victim,
a former social worker and the reporter for *St. Louis Post-Dispatch*, was stabbed 43 times after interrupting a burglary.
Prosecutors cited Williams’ girlfriend, who testified that she had seen the stolen items in his possession, and a fellow inmate who claimed Williams had confessed to the crime.
Both witnesses had criminal records, leading Williams’ defense to argue their motives were questionable,
yet these arguments did not convince the court.
Despite the lack of Williams’ DNA on the murder weapon,
his appeals to halt the execution based on DNA evidence were previously rejected.
2017, He was granted for a temporary stay of the execution by the then-Gov. Eric Greitens,
following the introduction of new DNA evidence.
However, that stay was lifted after further analysis,
and Williams’ legal team has since struggled to overturn the ruling.
Republican Missouri Gov. (Mike Parson) he has also refused clemency that stating
“Mr. Marcellus Williams has exhausted due the process and all judicial avenue,
that including over fithteen hearings attempted about argued his innocence and the overturn his conviction.
” Missouri Gov. Mike Parson emphasized no court, including the Supreme Court of Missouri ,
found merit in Marcellus Williams’ innocence claims.
Despite calls from the NAACP and the Midwest Innocence Project,
which argued that Williams’ conviction was marred by racial bias and procedural errors,
the execution is set to proceed.
Bushnell highlighted the family’s opposition to the death penalty
and their request to commute Williams’ sentence to life imprisonment without parole.
Attorneys for Williams have also filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court,
requesting a stay of execution based on similarities to the Richard Glossip case in Oklahoma.
If carried out, Williams’ execution would be the third in Missouri this year and
the 100th since the state resumed capital punishment in 1989.
For more updates on Marcellus Williams’ case and other legal news,
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