The impending execution of a 55-year-old Missouri man — who maintains he is innocent — is the latest in a series of recent cases to renew a death penalty investigation.
In 2001, Marcellus Williams was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1998 murder of social worker and former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Felicia “Lisha” Gayle. Since his sentencing, questions have been raised about how the evidence in the case was handled and whether the jury selection for his trial was fair.
Given these concerns, and Williams’ continued insistence that he did not kill Gayle, he and St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell urged the state to Clear his conviction. Although his execution had been delayed twice before, Missouri’s governor and the state Supreme Court refused to do so again this past week.
These decisions, and the outstanding uncertainty in the Williams case, have put a new spotlight on the death penalty. And many of the problems that have been cited with it. Barring action by the US Supreme Court, Williams is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection Tuesday evening.
What are the new developments in the field of Williams?
Williams was convicted of Gayle’s murder based on the testimony of two witnesses, including his girlfriend at the time. Who said he saw it? Victim’s purse and laptop in her car. Williams was incarcerated while convicted in the Gale case, and his then-cellmate Henry Cole also claimed that Williams had confessed to the murder.
Williams’ counsel argued that both witnesses had other motives to single him out, including “reward money and a plea bargain for shorter sentences in their own criminal cases.” According to the Washington Post.
As USA Today notesThere was no forensic evidence linking Williams to the crime, and His DNA was not found on the murder weapon – a knife.
Since his conviction, Williams’ attorneys have called for a greater investigation of the DNA on the knife as well as a review of racial bias in the jury selection process. Gayle’s family also expressed support for the pardon and the possibility of life in prison without parole.
Previously, Williams’ counsel had convinced former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens that new tests of DNA evidence, which included DNA from another man, had the potential to exonerate him. It allowed Greitens to stay the execution in 2017 and set up a panel to investigate the evidence.
Attorneys have since learned that the knife bore the fingerprints and DNA of a prosecutor who touched the murder weapon without wearing gloves, contaminating the evidence.
Williams’ allies also argued with him He faced racial bias in his trial A former prosecutor said he removed a black juror because of his resemblance to Williams.
Williams’ attorneys urged the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the execution because of this evidence of bias. But it is not yet clear whether the court will do so.
The Missouri Supreme Court declined to do so, Quoting Judge Jell Fisher “There is no credible evidence of actual innocence or a showing of constitutional error that undermines confidence in the original verdict.”
What concern does this express about the death penalty?
Concerns about how the use of the death penalty has declined in recent years Well it acts as a deterrentHow humane it is, and the racial disparity of the death penalty has increased. According to a 2016 study In Washington state, black defendants are four times more likely to be sentenced to death than non-black defendants in similar circumstances.
Although 27 states still allow the death penalty, 14 of them have not carried out any executions in the past 10 years. According to CNN. Executions have also declined since 1999, with around 100 people executed most recently. In 2023, 24 people were executed in five states; Currently, 24 people are expected to be executed this year.
Concerns about capital punishment include the fear that innocent people may face the punishment. Williams’ team is adamant that his case is an example of this problem.
“Missouri is ready to execute an innocent man, an outcome that calls into question the legitimacy of the entire criminal justice system,” said Tricia Bushnell, a Midwest Innocence Project attorney representing Williams. said in a statement.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, At least 200 people who were wrongly convicted and sentenced to death have been exonerated since 1973. And according to a 2014 survey estimateAbout 4 percent of those sentenced to death are innocent.
