Entries tagged with “Marcellus Williams”
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Feb 01, 2024
After Attorney General’s Request for Execution Date, St. Louis County Prosecutor Files Motion to Vacate Marcellus Williams’ Death Sentence
On January 26, 2024, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell filed a motion in the St. Louis County Circuit Court, asking the Court to vacate Marcellus Williams’ death…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Clemency
,Jun 25, 2018
Board Appointed By Resigned Missouri Governor to Review Death-Row Prisoner’s Case
A Board of Inquiry appointed by former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens will convene on August 22, 2018 to consider the fate of Marcellus Williams (pictured), one year to the day after Williams received a last-minute reprieve from execution based on evidence of his…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Jul 22, 2024
Missouri Attorney General Opposes Opportunity for Marcellus Williams to Establish His Innocence Before Execution Date
On July 18, 2024, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey asked the state Supreme Court to block a scheduled evidentiary hearing for Marcellus Williams and deny him the opportunity to establish his innocence before his scheduled execution on September 24, 2024. The Circuit Court of St. Louis County scheduled the August 21st hearing to assess the “clear and convincing” evidence of Mr. Williams’ actual innocence that prompted St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell to file a motion to vacate…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Race
,Aug 16, 2017
Missouri Court Denies Condemned Prisoner Stay of Execution, Review of Case Despite Exonerating DNA Evidence
After having previously granted Marcellus Williams (pictured) a stay of execution in 2015 to permit DNA testing in his case, the Missouri Supreme Court on August 15 summarily denied him a new execution stay, despite recently obtained results of that testing that support his innocence…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Executions Overview
,Jul 07, 2023
Missouri Governor Lifts Stay of Execution for Marcellus Williams, Ending Inquiry of Innocence Claim
On June 29, 2023, Missouri Governor Mike Parson (pictured) lifted the stay of execution for Marcellus Williams, a death-sentenced prisoner convicted of murdering Felisha Gayle, a former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter in 1998. Governor Parson also dissolved the Board of Inquiry, a judicial panel appointed by former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens to review evidence of innocence and provide recommendations on Mr. Williams’s application for executive…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Clemency
,Aug 31, 2022
Missouri Governor Silent on Marcellus Williams’ Case 5 Years After Execution Halted for Board of Inquiry Innocence Review
Five years after former Gov. Eric Greitens issued an execution-day reprieve for a Board of Inquiry to address questions of innocence, Marcellus Williams remains on Missouri’s death row. Though the board presented its recommendations more than a year ago, current Gov. Mike Parson has taken no action on the…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Clemency
,Aug 22, 2017
Missouri Governor Stays Execution of Marcellus Williams to Consider Evidence of Innocence
Calling a sentence of death “the ultimate, permanent punishment,” Missouri Governor Eric Greitens (pictured) has stayed the execution of Marcellus Williams “in light of new information” that Williams’s lawyers say demonstrate he is innocent of the murder of former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Felisha…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Jun 10, 2024
Missouri Supreme Court Sets Execution Date for Marcellus Williams Despite County Prosecutor’s Pending Motion for Innocence Hearing
On June 4, 2024, the Missouri Supreme Court set a September 24, 2024, execution date for death-sentenced prisoner Marcellus Williams (pictured), despite serious doubts that he was not involved in the murder for which he is incarcerated. The announcement came just hours after the state Supreme Court ruled that Governor Mike Parson did not violate any rules when he dissolved a board of inquiry established in June 2023 by his predecessor, Eric Greitens, to investigate Mr. William’s claim of…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Jan 17, 2024
POSSIBLE INNOCENCE: Despite DNA Evidence Clearing Marcellus Williams, Missouri Intends to Execute Him
The Missouri Supreme Court is considering how to apply a rarely used state law intended to prevent wrongful executions. Marcellus Williams (pictured), a death row prisoner who maintains his innocence, could face execution if the state’s high court allows Governor Mike Parson to dissolve a board of inquiry that former Governor Eric Greitens formed to examine Mr. Williams’ innocence claims. Mr. Williams’ attorneys argue that state law requires the board to provide a report and recommendation to…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Jul 08, 2024
Significant Developments in Cases of Innocent Prisoners on Death Row
On Wednesday, July 3rd, the 200th death row exoneration was announced. But an unknown number of prisoners with compelling innocence claims remain on death row, unable to secure relief either because they lack access to competent legal representation for their appeals, are barred from accessing the courts because of procedural legal barriers, or due to the incalcitrance of elected officials. For some of these prisoners, execution dates have been set. Significant developments have occurred…
Policy Issues
Innocence
,Jul 03, 2024
The 200th Exoneration Underscores Critical Flaws in the U.S. Criminal Legal System; Other Innocent Prisoners Remain on Death Row
Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Furman v. Georgia (1972), 200 death-sentenced men and women across 30 states have been exonerated. Analysis from the Death Penalty Information Center reveals these individuals have collectively spent 2,621 years in harsh prison conditions for crimes they did not commit. On average, death row exonerees spent 13 years under the sentence of death before their exonerations, with some individuals spending more than 40 years fighting to prove…