Missouri

Missouri man makes life-or-death effort to prove innocence before execution scheduled for next month

Published

2 years ago

August 21, 2024

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.

Source link

Click to comment

Missouri

Kehoe signs eight bills into Missouri law, including downtown development legislation

Published

12 hours ago

July 13, 2026

Press Room

Kehoe signs eight bills into Missouri law, including downtown development legislation

St. Louis could see major downtown renovation in the coming years helped by legislation signed into Missouri law by Gov. Mike Kehoe on Monday.

Kehoe signed a large economic development bill that includes incentivizing the conversion of vacant or underused properties into new housing.

For St. Louis, that could mean changes to the AT&T tower and Railway Exchange building.

Through the legislation, cities could apply for an area to become a Missouri innovation zone and be able to use incentives distributed by the state Department of Economic Development.

Cities must include proposed district boundaries, identify vacant and underutilized properties as well as provide projections of anticipated housing and employment growth in their application. Cities may only establish one of those districts.

Additionally, the legislation allows for up to $50 million annually in tax credits toward the conversion of buildings into residential spaces.

Sen. Steve Roberts, D-St. Louis, said the legislation will ultimately lead to more people living in downtown St. Louis.

“The passage of House Bill 3231 was critical in our efforts to continue revitalizing Missouri’s main streets, central business districts, and downtowns,” Kehoe said in a statement.

The governor signed seven other bills into law Monday, including a wide-reaching health care bill that contains several policies related to reproductive health.

The nearly 200-page bill allows for Missourians on private insurance to obtain 12 months’ worth of birth control pills at once.

It also expands Medicaid coverage to doula services. It would apply to more care before, during and after a pregnancy. The state health department must also create and operate a registry of available doula services.

Additionally, the bill requires insurance companies to cover blood pressure monitors for pregnant and postpartum mothers.

The bill also requires Missouri to track and report cases of Lyme disease and alpha-gal syndrome. Alpha-gal is a tick-borne disease that creates an allergy to mammalian products like meat.

Any identifiable information on the blood test could only be shared between patient and physician.

The legislation also:

Allows patients to begin their care through telemedicine, as opposed to a physical examination whenever possible.
Permits the sale of ivermectin, a drug that’s grown in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic, over the counter. It also expands the types of vaccines pharmacists can administer.
Prevents insurance companies from capping payment for anesthesia by imposing time limits.
Permits schools and daycares to provide epinephrine either via injection or orally to treat allergic reactions.

Additionally, Kehoe signed a bill that provides rights to “a child born alive during or after an abortion or attempted abortion.”

The legislation is called the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. Anyone who would kill or attempt to kill a fetus born alive after an abortion attempt could be prosecuted for first-degree murder under the bill.

Those against the bill say the focus on abortion causes consequences regarding maternal care in Missouri.

Fetal viability, or the point when a fetus would be able to survive outside the womb, is generally around 24 weeks of pregnancy.

According to KFF health research, abortions at or after 21 weeks of pregnancy are uncommon, representing 1% of all abortions in the country.

Kehoe said in a statement that he was proud to sign bills that will improve health care services across the state.

“I would like to thank the members of the House and Senate for their work to protect our most vulnerable, hold insurance companies accountable, and change the landscape of healthcare access and outcomes in communities across the state,” Kehoe said.

Source link

Missouri

Missouri Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 winning numbers for July 12, 2026

Published

1 day ago

July 13, 2026

Press Room

The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at July 12, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Pick 3 numbers from July 12 drawing

Midday: 7-1-3

Midday Wild: 0

Evening: 9-6-1

Evening Wild: 3

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from July 12 drawing

Midday: 0-9-0-9

Midday Wild: 8

Evening: 2-9-7-1

Evening Wild: 4

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from July 12 drawing

Early Bird: 05

Morning: 04

Matinee: 05

Prime Time: 04

Night Owl: 09

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Show Me Cash numbers from July 12 drawing

05-16-21-27-39

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.

Source link