Entries tagged with “Mike Parson”
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…
Facts & Research
Religion
,Jan 10, 2024
Catholic Organizers See “Renewed Momentum” for Death Penalty Abolition from Pope Francis’ Teachings
In 2018, Pope Francis formally revised the Catechism of the Catholic Church — its core teachings — to oppose the death penalty. Characterizing capital punishment as “an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,” he wrote that the Catholic Church “works with determination for its abolition worldwide.” This revision updated a 1997 Catechism edit by Pope John Paul II that permitted the death penalty in rare cases where it was deemed “the only possible way of effectively defending human…
Policy Issues
Human Rights
,Mental Illness
,Clemency
,Upcoming Executions
,May 19, 2023
Missouri Clemency Petition Highlights Prisoner’s Extraordinary Artwork
UPDATE 2: On June 2, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit lifted the stay that had been imposed by the U.S. District Court, saying that the lower court did not have jurisdiction to order the…
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
,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…
Facts & Research
Clemency
,Upcoming Executions
,Apr 05, 2024
Missouri’s First Execution of 2024 Scheduled for Man Whose Trial Lawyers Had Conflicts of Interest and Who Has Unprecedented Support for Clemency
Brian Dorsey (pictured), a Missouri death row prisoner scheduled for execution on April 9, 2024, has garnered widespread support for clemency from more than 70 corrections officials, a former Missouri Supreme Court Judge, multiple jurors, Democratic and Republican state legislators, faith leaders, and his family members — several of whom are related to the victims, Sarah and Ben Bonnie — all of whom have called on Governor Mike Parson to commute his sentence to life in prison without the…
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…