A judge in St. Louis has declined to overturn the conviction and death sentence of Marcellus Williams, a Missouri man set for execution later this month for the 1998 stabbing death of Lisha Gayle, a social worker and former reporter. Despite concerns about DNA evidence found on the murder weapon, the judge ruled that Williams is guilty of first-degree murder and deserves the death penalty.

Williams, 55, has been fighting his conviction, with his lawyers questioning the validity of the DNA evidence linking him to the crime. However, the judge stated that all previous appeals and reviews have upheld Williams’ guilt and there is no evidence to suggest his innocence.

Efforts were made by the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to challenge Williams’ conviction under a new Missouri law allowing for a review of potentially unjust convictions. Despite questions about the DNA evidence being raised, the Missouri Supreme Court has maintained the scheduled execution date of Sept. 24.

An agreement was reached between Williams’ legal team and the prosecutor’s office for Williams to plead no contest to first-degree murder in exchange for a life sentence without parole, after it was discovered that the DNA evidence had been compromised due to contamination. However, the agreement was blocked by the Missouri Supreme Court, which ordered further hearings on the case.

Prosecutors at Williams’ trial alleged that he broke into Gayle’s home, stabbed her 43 times, and stole her purse and her husband’s laptop. Additional testimony from a former cellmate of Williams claimed that Williams confessed to the crime. Despite challenges to the evidence and witness testimonies from Williams’ defense team, the judge upheld the conviction and sentence.

Williams, who is Black, had his case revisited following concerns about the fairness of his trial, including the lack of diversity on the jury panel. Despite efforts to challenge the conviction and explore new evidence, Williams’ fate remains unchanged as he faces the possibility of execution later this month.