Missouri Inmate's Life Hangs in the Balance

Testimony began Wednesday in a pivotal hearing for Missouri inmate Marcellus Williams, who is scheduled to be executed and is seeking to have his 1998 murder conviction vacated. The hearing, before St. Louis County Circuit Judge Bruce Hilton, follows a motion by Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell to vacate the conviction due to new DNA evidence. Williams is set to be executed on September 24, and neither Gov. Mike Parson nor Attorney General Andrew Bailey has expressed a willingness to delay the process.

Williams, 55, was convicted for the 1998 murder of Lisha Gayle. However, DNA tests in 2017 revealed that DNA on the murder weapon did not match Williams, prompting then-Gov. Eric Greitens to stay the execution. Bell argues that this “never-before-considered evidence” coupled with ineffective counsel and racial bias at trial warrants a reevaluation of the conviction, noting Williams was sentenced by an almost all-white jury.

A 2021 Missouri law allows prosecutors to file motions to vacate convictions they believe are unjust, resulting in recent exonerations. Williams, the first death row inmate to have his case heard since the law was put in place, has garnered support from former death row inmate Joseph Amrine. Amrine emphasized the human cost, stating, “The state has nothing to gain by killing the wrong person.” (This story was generated by Newser’s AI chatbot. Source: the AP)