Missouri
Missouri man makes life-or-death effort to prove innocence before execution scheduled for next month
Testimony begins Wednesday in a hearing with life-or-death implications for Missouri inmate Marcellus Williams.
The case before St. Louis County Circuit Judge Bruce Hilton is on a motion filed by Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell seeking to vacate Williams’ 1998 murder conviction. Time is of the essence: Williams is scheduled to be executed Sept. 24, and neither Missouri Gov. Mike Parson nor Attorney General Andrew Bailey has shown any inclination to delay the process.
Williams, 55, was convicted of first-degree murder in the 1998 stabbing death of Lisha Gayle. He was hours away from execution in August 2017 when then-Gov. Eric Greitens, a Republican, granted a stay after DNA testing unavailable at the time of the killing showed that DNA on the knife matched someone else, not Williams.
That evidence prompted Bell to reexamine the case.
“This never-before-considered evidence, when paired with the relative paucity of other, credible evidence supporting guilt, as well as additional considerations of ineffective assistance of counsel and racial discrimination in jury selection, casts inexorable doubt on Mr. Williams’s conviction and sentence,” Bell’s motion states.
Williams, who is Black, was convicted and sentenced to death by a jury consisting of 11 white people and one Black person.
Bailey, a Republican, stated in a June court filing that “evidence supporting conviction at trial was overwhelming,” despite the new DNA claims.
A 2021 Missouri law allows prosecuting attorneys to file a motion seeking to vacate a conviction they believe was unjust. The law has resulted in exonerations of three men who spent decades in prison, including Christopher Dunn last month.
Typically, a judge hears a few days of testimony then takes up to two months to weigh the evidence. Hilton won’t have the luxury of time though: Williams’ execution is 34 days away.
The Missouri Supreme Court set the September execution date on June 4, hours after it ruled that Parson, a Republican, was within his rights when he dissolved a board of inquiry convened by Greitens after he stopped the 2017 execution.
The inquiry board, consisting of five retired judges, never issued a ruling or reached a conclusion on whether the new DNA evidence exonerated Williams. Parson dissolved the board in June 2023, saying it was time to “move forward.”
Johnathan Shiflett, spokesperson for Parson, said the governor “will give thoughtful consideration to the question of clemency for Mr. Williams, just as he has for all other capital punishment cases during his tenure, but no decision has been made at this time.” Parson, a former county sheriff, has been governor for 11 executions and never granted clemency.
In addition to Dunn, who spent 34 years behind bars for the death of a 15-year-old St. Louis boy, the Missouri law allowing prosecutors to challenge convictions led to freedom for two other men — Kevin Strickland and Lamar Johnson. Bailey was not attorney general when Strickland’s case went to a hearing, but his office opposed vacating the convictions of Dunn and Johnson.
Bailey also opposed efforts to overturn the conviction of Sandra Hemme, who spent 43 years in prison for murder, though that case was adjudicated through appeals, not a prosecutor’s motion. A judge ruled in June that Hemme should be freed. Bailey filed multiple appeals to try and keep her behind bars, but Hemme was released in July.
Strickland was freed in 2021 after serving more than 40 years for three killings in Kansas City after a judge ruled he had been wrongfully convicted in 1979. In 2023, a St. Louis judge overturned Johnson’s conviction. He served nearly 28 years for a killing he always said he didn’t commit.
Williams is the first death row inmate whose innocence claim will go before a judge since passage of the 2021 law. He’s getting support from another former condemned inmate. Joseph Amrine spent 17 years on death row before he was freed in 2003 after the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that no credible evidence linked him to the killing of another inmate.
“The state has nothing to gain by killing the wrong person,” Amrine said in a statement. “I hope the Attorney General’s office can change their approach and acknowledge there are human beings impacted by their actions.”
Prosecutors at Williams’ trial said he broke into Gayle’s suburban St. Louis home on Aug. 11, 1998, heard water running in the shower, and found a large butcher knife. When Gayle came downstairs, she was stabbed 43 times. Her purse and her husband’s laptop were stolen. Gayle, who was white, was a social worker who previously worked as a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Authorities said Williams stole a jacket to conceal blood on his shirt. Williams’ girlfriend asked him why he would wear a jacket on a hot day. The girlfriend said she later saw the laptop in the car and that Williams sold it a day or two later.
Prosecutors also cited testimony from Henry Cole, who shared a St. Louis cell with Williams in 1999 while Williams was jailed on unrelated charges. Cole told prosecutors Williams confessed to the killing and offered details about it.
Williams’ attorneys responded that the girlfriend and Cole were both convicted felons out for a $10,000 reward.

Missouri
Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, business leaders react to Missouri stadium vote

KSHB 41 reporter Caroline Hogan covers development across the Kansas City area. Share your story idea with Caroline.
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While Missouri state leaders are discussing the future homes of the Royals and the Chiefs, Kansas City business leaders are discussing much more affordable housing.
Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, business leaders react to Missouri stadium vote
Those who work, live and invest in the downtown area gathered Wednesday for the monthly KC Downtowners Luncheon. They want what’s best for Jackson County, and they believe the best includes keeping the teams in Jackson County.
“You’re making an investment here that’s gonna last the next 60-100 years. Let’s do it right,” said Kelley Hrabe, a multifamily housing developer.
“The development downtown is doing very well, said Jan Marcason, a former Kansas City councilmember. “I think that [the stadium] would just be the icing on the cake.”
Eddie Crane, who lives and works in downtown Kansas City, expressed enthusiasm for a downtown location.
“I want the Royals stadium in Washington Square, like six blocks from my house. That would be dynamite,” Crane said.
Many attendees supported the passage of Senate Bill 3, also known as the Show-Me Sports Investment Act. It’s Missouri’s way of keeping the Royals and Chiefs to stay in Missouri.
The bill passed Wednesday afternoon.
“I’m really excited about getting that support from the state of Missouri,” Marcason said.
However, the vote on the bill doesn’t finalize any decisions. Kansas and Clay County are still contenders for the new stadium locations.
“Argument can be made that going out towards the Legends or some other location in Kansas still has the connectivity of sports with the soccer stadiums and the speedway out there, and I think that has some merit,” said Jason Osborne of Rosemann & Associates.
Some residents, like Crane, express frustration with the lack of concrete plans.
“It seems that we’re all adults, you can easily present a plan, you can come to a conclusion and we can move forward as a collective,” Crane said.
A baseball stadium in downtown Kansas City could be an economic game changer.
“Supporting local businesses, hanging out, buying beers, and going to all the shops, etc. They’re going to be spending the money in the local economy,” said Zach Molzer of Molzer Development.
That kind of revenue is not something KC business leaders are ready to stop fighting for.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Missouri
Missouri Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 winning numbers for June 10, 2025
The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at June 10, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from June 10 drawing
10-11-14-38-45, Mega Ball: 24
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from June 10 drawing
Midday: 9-2-7
Midday Wild: 3
Evening: 5-0-9
Evening Wild: 2
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from June 10 drawing
Midday: 0-0-7-9
Midday Wild: 3
Evening: 9-7-9-9
Evening Wild: 9
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash4Life numbers from June 10 drawing
08-09-35-41-46, Cash Ball: 02
Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from June 10 drawing
Early Bird: 04
Morning: 03
Matinee: 10
Prime Time: 10
Night Owl: 03
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Show Me Cash numbers from June 10 drawing
06-07-08-17-33
Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.
To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:
Ticket Redemption
Missouri Lottery
P.O. Box 7777
Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777
For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.
For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.
When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
- Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
- Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
- Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
- Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Missouri
Missouri and Kansas have fewer kids living in poverty, but more are struggling in school

The latest Kids Count report shows fewer children in Missouri and Kansas lived in poverty in 2023 compared to pre-pandemic years, but many are still struggling to rebound from reading and math learning loss.
The annual child wellness report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation ranks states on kids’ economic well-being, education, health, and family and community. Kansas ranked 14th overall, and Missouri ranked 27th — both a few places above last year.
Both states reduced the number of children living in high poverty areas or in families headed by someone without a high school diploma. In 2023, more children had parents with secure employment. Fewer people had children as teenagers as well.
Pandemic-era support programs like the child tax credit lessened the blow of the worst economic effects of the pandemic, according to the report.
Jessica Herrera Russell, senior communications manager for Kansas Action for Children, said proposed federal budget cuts could limit families’ access to other support measures like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
“Sick parents aren’t going to be able to consistently work. Hungry kids aren’t going to be able to learn,” Herrera Russell said. “We really need to make sure that we ensure that everybody who is eligible is able to get help from what those programs are for.”
The percentage of Kansas children without health insurance in 2023 was the same as before the pandemic and improved by a couple points in Missouri. But 3,000 Kansas children lost health insurance from 2022 to 2023 because of paperwork issues when states redetermined Medicaid eligibility, Herrera Russell said.
According to the report’s other health indicators for wellness, children in Missouri weighed less at birth than they did in 2019, and mortality rates for both states’ children and teens rose.
The number of children in Missouri living in households that spent a large portion of their income on housing costs also stayed the same, and decreased by a percentage point in Kansas.
Tracy Greever-Rice, project director for the Missouri Kids Count with the Family and Community Trust, said 1 in 5 of the state’s children live in households that spend at least a third of their income on housing.
“Housing costs… includes things like mortgage and rent, insurance, utilities and other expenses that are just related to keeping that roof over your head,” Greever-Rice said. “We are improving in poverty, but there is additional work to do around being at risk of living in a household that is experiencing poverty.”
Struggle to recover academically
Despite several economic improvements for Missouri and Kansas children, both states have lost ground in nearly all of the report’s education indicators of well-being.
The exception is graduation rates — the number of high school students graduating on time in Missouri stayed the same and increased by two percentage points in Kansas.
But access to early childhood education remains a concern. In Kansas, 55% of young children ages 3 and 4 years old weren’t enrolled in school and in Missouri, 57% weren’t — both a couple of percentage points lower than before the pandemic.
Greever-Rice said early childhood education for students is predictive of long-term academic success.
Students in Missouri and Kansas are also still struggling to recover in reading and math to pre-pandemic levels, according to the Kids Count data. In Missouri, 77% of eighth graders were not proficient in math and 73% of fourth graders were not proficient in reading.
In Kansas, 74% of eighth graders were not proficient in math and 72% of fourth graders were not proficient in reading.
In addition to targeted learning investments, Herrera Russell said reducing the amount of adverse childhood experiences that children go through will also help them academically.
Adverse childhood experiences are traumatic events that affect children in the long term — like economic hardship, experiencing domestic or community violence, living with someone who has a mental illness or substance use problem or facing discrimination based on race or ethnicity.
“If their parents are able to keep stable housing, if they’re able to ensure that they can get their kids to school, if they are able to make sure that they have enough to eat for every meal,” Herrera Russell said, “that will decrease the amount of trauma that kids go through and the amount of upheavals, and that will enable kids to go to school, ready to learn.”
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