With just hours before his scheduled execution in Missouri, three critical cases are pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, offering Marcellus Williams his final hope. Williams, sentenced to death for the 1998 murder of Felicia Gayle in the St. Louis area, has long maintained his innocence, pointing to a lack of forensic evidence linking him to the crime. Williams’ execution is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, following Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s denial of clemency on Monday and the Missouri Supreme Court’s rejection of an appeal brought by St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell.
Bell has called for Williams’ conviction to be overturned. The three Supreme Court cases represent Williams’ last chance at avoiding execution. One case questions whether a capital conviction should be reversed when the original prosecutor no longer supports it. This appeal, filed late Monday, followed the Missouri Supreme Court’s rejection of Bell’s efforts to vacate the conviction. The other cases involve allegations of racial bias in jury selection and argue that capital defendants have constitutional rights during the clemency process.
Bell has been fighting for Williams since January, filing a motion to vacate the conviction earlier this year. However, despite new DNA evidence suggesting the original trial prosecutor mishandled the murder weapon, leading to potential contamination, Williams’ case was weakened. The Missouri Attorney General’s Office opposed a deal that would have spared Williams from execution, and the Missouri Supreme Court ultimately scheduled the execution for September 24.
Despite significant support for Williams’ case, including petitions with over one million signatures and opposition from the NAACP, Amnesty International, and U.S. Representative Cori Bush, his chances of avoiding execution have dwindled. Even the family of Felicia Gayle, the victim, has expressed a desire not to see the execution carried out. Williams was convicted largely based on the testimony of two witnesses who claimed he had confessed to them—both of whom have since died.