A death row inmate in Missouri, whose execution is scheduled in less than a week, is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene. CNN reports that Marcellus Williams55, was convicted of first-degree murder in 2001 for stabbing Felicia Gayle to death in her home in 1998.
RELATED: UPDATE: Father of Apalachee High School shooter reportedly calls for separation of inmates due to death threats
Death row inmate in Missouri calls for execution halt
Despite the conviction, Marcellus Williams has always maintained his innocence in the murder of Felicia Gayle. In addition, the U.S. Supreme Court argues that Williams was treated unfairly during the lengthy process to prevent his execution.
However, if authorities make the final decision to execute Williams, he will receive the lethal injection on September 24. According to the AP, this would be the third execution in Missouri this year and the 14th nationwide.
The NAACP is calling on Governor Michael Parson to prevent Marcellus' execution, pointing to the historic racial disparities that exist in the death penalty, particularly in Missouri.
“The killing of Mr. Williams, a Black man wrongfully convicted of killing a white woman, would amount to a horrific miscarriage of justice and a repeat of Missouri's worst past,” NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson and Missouri State Conference President Nimrod Chapel Jr. wrote in a letter to Parson.
The St. Louis district attorney found earlier this year that constitutional errors had occurred in the original trial of Marcellus. Among other things, a black juror had been excluded from the trial because of his race.
According to CNN, Williams' lawyers point out that former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens has stayed his execution indefinitely and set up a commission to review his case for a possible clemency.
“The governor’s actions violated Williams’ constitutional rights and made the court’s attention extremely urgent,” it says in the court documents.
Further details on the Marcellus Williams case
For ten months after Felicia Gayle's death, police had no leads until her husband, Dr. Daniel Picus, offered a $10,000 reward. Then Henry Cole contacted authorities and claimed that Marcellus had confessed to the murder while they were in prison together.
The Missouri Independent points out that prosecutors used unreliable informant testimony and circumstantial evidence against Marcellus Williams.
The newspaper reveals that months later, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on Laura Asaro's arrest for sex work. She claimed to have information about Gayle's murder, but later said she was trying to evade arrest. After learning of the reward, she incriminated Marcellus.
AP states that prosecutor Wesley Bell questioned DNA evidence on the murder weapon while requesting a hearing on Marcellus' guilt. He stated that the butcher knife used to kill Felicia Galye contained the DNA of another person, not Williams'.
Marcellus's lawyers and Bell argued that mishandling the contaminated weapon and concealing crucial DNA evidence could have helped exonerate him.
RELATED: Oklahoma City grants $7 million to wrongfully convicted death row inmate after nearly 50 years in prison
What do you think, roommates?
