The upcoming execution of a 55-year-old Missouri man — who maintains he’s harmless — is the most recent of a number of latest instances to resume scrutiny of the demise penalty.
In 2001, Marcellus Williams was convicted of the 1998 killing of social employee and former St. Louis Submit-Dispatch reporter Felicia “Lisha” Gayle, and sentenced to demise. Since his sentencing, questions have been raised about how proof within the case was dealt with and whether or not jury choice for his trial was honest.
Given these issues, and Williams’s continued claims that he didn’t kill Gayle, he and St. Louis prosecuting lawyer Wesley Bell have known as for the state to vacate his conviction. Whereas his execution was beforehand delayed twice earlier than, the Missouri governor and state Supreme Courtroom have declined to take action once more this previous week.
These selections, and the excellent uncertainty in Williams’s case, have put a brand new highlight on capital punishment and plenty of issues which have been cited with it. Barring any motion by the US Supreme Courtroom, Williams is scheduled to be killed through deadly injection on Tuesday night.
What are the brand new developments in Williams’s case?
Williams was convicted for Gayle’s homicide based mostly on the testimony of two witnesses, together with his girlfriend on the time, who mentioned she noticed the sufferer’s purse and laptop computer in his automobile. Williams was incarcerated on the time of his conviction within the Gayle case, and his then-cellmate Henry Cole additionally claimed that Williams had admitted to the killing.
Williams’s counsel argues that each witnesses had different motives for singling him out, together with “reward cash and a discount for shorter sentences in their very own legal instances,” in accordance with the Washington Submit.
As USA As we speak notes, there wasn’t forensic proof linking Williams to the crime, and his DNA was not discovered on the homicide weapon — a knife.
Since his conviction, Williams’s counsel has known as for larger investigation of the DNA that was on the knife, in addition to a assessment of racial bias within the jury choice course of. Gayle’s household has additionally backed clemency and the potential of a life sentence with out parole.
Beforehand, Williams’s counsel satisfied former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens that new testing of the DNA proof, which included DNA from one other man, had the potential to exonerate him. That led Greitens to grant a keep of execution in 2017 and to convene a panel to analyze this proof.
Attorneys have since discovered, although, that the knife had fingerprints and DNA from a prosecutor who had touched the homicide weapon with out sporting gloves, contaminating the proof.
Williams’ allies have additionally argued he confronted racial bias in his trial after a former prosecutor mentioned he eliminated a Black juror due to his resemblance to Williams.
Williams’ attorneys have known as on the US Supreme Courtroom to grant a keep of the execution as a consequence of this proof of bias. However it’s not but clear if the Courtroom will.
The Missouri Supreme Courtroom had declined to take action, with Choose Zel Fischer citing “no credible proof of precise innocence or any exhibiting of a constitutional error undermining confidence within the unique judgment.”
What issues does this elevate about capital punishment?
Using capital punishment has waned in recent times as issues about how effectively it really works as a deterrent, how humane it’s, and racial disparities in demise sentences have grown. In keeping with one 2016 research in Washington State, Black defendants are 4 occasions extra prone to be sentenced to demise than non-Black defendants in related circumstances.
Though 27 states nonetheless permit the demise penalty, 14 of these haven’t carried out any executions prior to now 10 years, in accordance with CNN. Executions have additionally dwindled since 1999, which marked a latest excessive when practically 100 folks had been killed. In 2023, 24 folks had been executed throughout 5 states; at present, 24 persons are anticipated to be executed this 12 months.
Among the many issues raised by executions is the concern that harmless folks may face these sentences. Williams’s staff is adamant that his case is an instance of this challenge.
“Missouri is poised to execute an harmless man, an end result that calls into query the legitimacy of your entire legal justice system,” Tricia Bushnell, a Midwest Innocence Challenge lawyer representing Williams, mentioned in a press release.
In keeping with the Loss of life Penalty Info Heart, a minimum of 200 individuals who had been wrongly convicted and sentenced to demise have been exonerated since 1973. And per a 2014 research estimate, roughly 4 % of the folks sentenced to demise are harmless.