DNA evidence has indicated for years that Marcellus “Khaliifah” Williams was wrongfully convicted in the 1998 murder of Felicia Gayle. However, the drama surrounding his case has intensified in the weeks leading up to his scheduled execution on September 24.
This evidence was compelling enough for the Gayle family and Missouri’s former attorney general in 2017. In January, the St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell’s office reversed its stance on Williams’s conviction from 2000 and sought to halt the execution.
Williams, now 54 and a grandfather, has consistently claimed his innocence since his arrest in 1998. Nevertheless, Attorney General Andrew Bailey has been determined to proceed with the execution. Over the weekend, legal motions were submitted to the Missouri Supreme Court challenging a lower court’s refusal to overturn Williams’s conviction. On Monday, Williams’s attorneys contended that a recent admission by the trial prosecutor regarding the dismissal of Black jurors should suffice to overturn the conviction, a claim the attorney general’s office refutes.
Shortly after Monday’s hearing, the judges unanimously decided to affirm Williams’s conviction, allowing the execution to proceed despite an appeal pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. A petition for clemency to the governor was also denied by day’s end.
Advocates assert that Williams’s case highlights systemic issues regarding justice in Missouri, particularly concerning the treatment of Black and low-income individuals within the legal system. Michelle Smith, co-founder of the nonprofit Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty, noted the prevalent culture of dehumanization and punitive justice in the state.
Data shows that over half of the wrongful conviction cases in Missouri involve Black exonerees, including three who faced the death penalty, according to the National Registry of Exonerations, which has tracked such instances since 1989. The frequency of death sentences in Missouri has sharply decreased in recent years, with only one case resulting in a unanimous death penalty decision over the last decade.
Since last year, Bailey has taken measures to block the release of exonerees and, in some instances, has pushed for their executions despite clear evidence suggesting wrongful convictions.
Williams’s challenges are not new; he has previously faced execution dates. Supporters, including Smith, have been involved in advocacy efforts surrounding his case for several years.
The conviction which Williams maintains is wrongful relied on testimony from two witnesses, a jailhouse informant and an ex-girlfriend, both of whom had their own ongoing criminal charges that could have motivated their testimonies. During a recent evidentiary hearing, the trial prosecutor admitted to mishandling evidence and improperly excluding Black jurors from the panel.
Missouri Supreme Court Judge Zel M. Fischer reinforced the lower court’s ruling, asserting that there is no credible evidence of actual innocence and no significant constitutional errors affecting the original judgment. This conclusion disregards DNA testing conducted in 2016, which indicated Williams was not linked to either the murder weapon or the crime scene.
In 2017, the execution was postponed while an advisory board, established by then-Governor Eric Greitens, investigated the case further in light of new evidence. Law changes in 2021 allowed for greater prosecutorial discretion in revisiting past convictions; however, an advisory board that could have provided further insights into Williams’s case was disbanded by current Republican Governor Mike Parson.
Bailey, recently appointed and seeking a full term, has reinstated an execution date amidst growing calls for clemency and legal support from organizations like the NAACP. Bell’s office is advocating against the execution, revealing a desire to bring closure to the case without resorting to capital punishment.
Williams is scheduled for execution on Tuesday at 6 p.m. local time. Despite the approaching deadline, Williams remains steadfast in his faith and has become a mentor in prison.
He continues to maintain a relationship with his son, Marcellus Williams Jr., who grew up without his father’s physical presence but remains connected through shared beliefs. Supporters praise Williams for his resilience and unwavering faith during these tumultuous years on death row.