The Missouri Supreme Court has intervened in the case of death row inmate Marcellus Williams, overturning an agreement that would have commuted his death sentence. Instead, the court has ordered a hearing to proceed to examine Williams’ claim of innocence. The decision comes just over a month before Williams was scheduled to be executed.
The ruling was made after a plan was approved by St. Louis County Circuit Judge Bruce Hilton that would have allowed Williams to plead no contest to first-degree murder in the 1998 death of Lisha Gayle. Williams’ lawyers maintained his innocence, but the plea acknowledged that there was enough evidence for a conviction.
The agreement would have seen Williams sentenced to life in prison without parole. However, the September 24 execution date is still pending, awaiting the outcome of the hearing on Williams’ innocence claim scheduled before Hilton.
The hearing was originally set to start immediately but was postponed after new DNA testing raised concerns about the integrity of the evidence, indicating contamination of the murder weapon by former officials, rendering it useless for Williams’ case.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey promptly filed an appeal against the decision to override the capital murder sentence, which was supported by the Missouri Supreme Court’s ruling. The court instructed Hilton to proceed with the evidentiary hearing on August 28.
Williams’ attorney, Tricia Bushnell, expressed disappointment in the court’s decision, arguing that it contradicted the will of the prosecutor, the community, and the wishes of Gayle’s family. Prosecutors still harbor concerns about the integrity of Williams’ conviction, particularly in a case that led to a death sentence.
The courtroom was filled with spectators, including individuals who had been previously exonerated, as the legal proceedings unfolded. The handling of the murder weapon without proper procedures was highlighted by a special prosecutor, leading to the consent judgment allowing Williams to enter an Alford plea.
Williams, who was just hours away from execution in 2017 before receiving a stay, has maintained his innocence throughout the case. The emergence of new DNA evidence prompted a reexamination of his conviction, leading to the latest legal developments in his case.