Missouri man will get to show DNA evidence, try to prove innocence before execution date
A man who faces execution will have his DNA evidence heard in court in August.
On Tuesday, Marcellus “Khaliifah” Williams, 55, was granted an evidentiary hearing, to take place on Aug. 21, just weeks before his scheduled execution on Sept. 24.
The hearing was requested after St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell in January used a Missouri law allowing prosecutors to file a motion to vacate a conviction.
A judge is expected to make a ruling on Williams’ innocence claims following the hearing, though it’s unclear how long that decision will take.
“The court will now do its part to assess this never-before-considered exculpatory evidence,” said Tricia Bushnell, an attorney with the Midwest Innocence Project. “This is the procedure the Missouri Legislature created to ensure the state does not execute an innocent person like Mr. Williams. The Attorney General should not be trying to block the court’s review and the Missouri Supreme Court should stay Mr. Williams’s execution.”
Williams was convicted in the 1998 murder of Felicia Gayle.
Williams has faced execution twice, but both times were halted to conduct DNA testing and further investigation.
In 2017, former Gov. Eric Greitens issued the second stay and appointed a board of inquiry to look into the case.
Gov. Mike Parson lifted the stay and dissolved the board in June 2023.
The Missouri Supreme Court issued the execution warrant last month.
Williams’ attorneys argue he is not linked to evidence from the crime scene, including DNA on the murder weapon, shoe prints, fingerprints or hair.
They also said two witnesses who testified against Williams were incentivized by reward money and promises of leniency in their own separate criminal cases.
The Missouri Attorney General’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the evidentiary hearing.
In a motion to dismiss Bell’s case, the office argued Williams was guilty. His appeals have already been denied and that the Circuit Court of St. Louis County does not have authority to stay an execution.
