UPDATE September 25 10:48 am
In a statement made by the Innocence Project Tuesday evening, “Tonight, Missouri executed an innocent man.”
“The Missouri Attorney General’s Office relentlessly pursued Mr. Williams’ execution and opposed clemency. The Attorney General and Missouri Governor Mike Parson – who ultimately denied the request for clemency – ignored the wishes of the victim’s husband who has consistently made clear that he opposed the death penalty for Mr. Williams.”
UPDATE: September 23 12:46 pm
The Missouri Supreme Court has decided to hear arguments on Monday Spetember 23rd in the case of Marcellus Williams, who is facing execution on Tuesday September 24th for the 1998 stabbing death of Lisha Gayle. Williams, who has maintained his innocence, had a previous execution halted in 2017 due to DNA evidence concerns.
The NAACP and Gayle’s family are urging Governor Mike Parson to commute Williams’ sentence to life without parole. Issues of racial bias in Williams’ conviction have also been raised, with the NAACP opposing the death penalty in this case.
ORIGINAL: September 19 3:34 pm
According to CNN, The NAACP is urgently appealing to Missouri Governor Mike Parson to halt the execution of Marcellus Williams, a Black man scheduled to be executed on Sept. 24 for a murder he maintains he did not commit.
The organization warns that proceeding with the execution would perpetuate racial disparities in the justice system. Williams’ legal team argues that his rights were violated during the judicial process, and Governor Parson disbanded a special board investigating his case.
With only days left before the execution, advocates are calling for clemency and a reevaluation of the evidence to ensure justice is served fairly. The case underscores broader issues of racial injustice in the American legal system and the need for reform in the death penalty system.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson and Missouri State Conference President Nimrod Chapel Jr. addressed in an a open letter to Gov. Parson,“Taking the life of Marcellus Williams would be an unequivocal statement that when a white woman is killed, a Black man must die. And any Black man will do.”
