A Missouri death row inmate scheduled to be executed in less than a week is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene. CNN reports that Marcelo Williams55, received a first-degree murder conviction in 2001 for stabbing Felicia Gayle to death in her home in 1998.
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Missouri death row inmate seeks stay of execution
Despite his conviction, Marcellus Williams has consistently maintained his innocence in the murder of Felicia Gayle. Furthermore, the U.S. Supreme Court argues that Williams faced unfair treatment of his legal rights during the lengthy process to prevent his execution.
However, if authorities finalize the decision to execute Williams, he will receive a lethal injection on September 24. According to PA-APThis would mark the third execution in Missouri this year and the 14th nationwide.
The NAACP is calling on Gov. Michael Parson to halt Marcellus’ execution, highlighting historic racial disparities in the death penalty, especially in Missouri.
“To kill Mr. Williams, a black man who was wrongfully convicted of killing a white woman, would amount to a terrible miscarriage of justice and a perpetuation of the worst of Missouri’s past,” NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson and Missouri State Conference President Nimrod Chapel Jr. wrote in a letter to Parson.
The St. Louis district attorney noted earlier this year that Marcellus’ original trial had constitutional errors, including the removal of a black juror based on race.
According to CNN, Williams’ lawyers point out that former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens has stayed his execution indefinitely and created a board to investigate his case for possible clemency.
“The Governor’s actions violated Williams’ constitutional rights and created an exceptionally urgent need for the Court’s attention,” court documents state.
More details on the Marcellus Williams case
Police had no leads for 10 months after Felicia Gayle’s death until her husband, Dr. Daniel Picus, offered a $10,000 reward. Then Henry Cole contacted authorities, claiming that Marcellus confessed to the murder while they were incarcerated together.
THE Missouri Independent notes that the prosecution used testimony from unreliable informants and circumstantial evidence against Marcellus Williams.
The outlet reveals that months later, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on Laura Asaro’s arrest for sex work. She claimed to have information about Gayle’s murder, but later said she was trying to avoid arrest. After learning about the reward, she implicated Marcellus.
The AP claims that prosecutor Wesley Bell disputed the DNA evidence on the murder weapon as he sought a hearing on Marcellus’ guilt. He claimed that the butcher knife used to kill Felicia Galye had someone else’s DNA on it, not Williams’.
Lawyers for Marcellus and Bell argued that mishandling the contaminated gun, obscuring crucial DNA evidence, could have helped exonerate him.
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What do you think, roommates?