Marcellus Williams Advocates Speak Outside MO Supreme Court Appeal Hearing, Less Than 24 Hours Until Scheduled Execution

Immediately, advocates for Marcellus “Khaliifah” Williams gathered exterior the Missouri Supreme Court docket, the place his enchantment was heard in a ultimate try to halt his execution scheduled for tomorrow, September twenty fourth. This enchantment listening to represents one of many final authorized avenues to save lots of the lifetime of a person who has been wrongfully convicted for over 20 years.

Williams was sentenced to dying in 2001 for the 1998 homicide of former Submit-Dispatch reporter Felicia Gayle, against the law for which DNA proof now proves his innocence. But, regardless of this significant proof, Missouri courts and the state’s Legal professional Common persist of their efforts to hold out this state-sanctioned homicide, exemplifying the continuing legacy of racial violence throughout the American carceral, punishment system.

Michelle Smith, Co-Director of Missourians for Options to the Demise Penalty (MADP), emphasised the injustice surrounding the case. “Finality of a judgment overrides a human particular person’s life?” She acknowledged in response to feedback made by Legal professional Common the place he acknowledged there needs to be some finality to a court docket resolution. “That’s problematic for me, Nothing must be above precise justice,” Smith stated.

“We should always take nonetheless lengthy it takes to show Mr. Williams’ innocence and guarantee his rights are upheld and that the whole lot is introduced out in court docket… this finality of judgement declare that the AG’s workplace is upholding is ridiculous… what in regards to the finality of judgement for Eric DeValkenare in Kansas Metropolis who murdered a Black particular person and was convicted and the governor is signaling he desires to pardon him, what occurred to that finality of judgement? It’s fully inconsistent.”

The Missouri Supreme Court docket enchantment follows an alarming historical past of judicial failure. Williams’ conviction was secured largely on the testimonies of two witnesses—each of whom had been paid to testify. No forensic proof linked Williams to the crime scene, and a predominantly white jury handed down the sentence. Since his preliminary conviction, no substantial bodily proof has emerged connecting Williams to the crime, solely deepening the questions across the systemic bias that led to his conviction.

“Justice Denied, Humanity Misplaced”

The newest ruling from St. Louis County Choose Bruce Hilton on September thirteenth upholding Williams’ conviction has solely added gas to the hearth, main his authorized group to enchantment as soon as once more to the Missouri Supreme Court docket. But even on this ultimate hour, the courts appear extra involved with bureaucratic finality than with reality and justice. As Smith put it, “He’s been incarcerated for twenty-four years. They’re not essentially going to let him go tomorrow. So this finality of judgment declare is ridiculous, particularly as a result of they solely care about it when it’s about Black and poor folks.”

Nimrod Chapel, President of the Missouri NAACP, echoed these sentiments. “The Legal professional Common’s argument about finality is a double-edged sword. It’s not about simply being completed with the case, it’s about did we get to the reality?” Chapel requested, “The prosecutor’s job is to get to the reality, and so they’ve failed time and time once more. This might be yet one more public failure of that workplace to make sure that justice is finished.”

Because the clock ticks down, greater than half one million folks throughout the nation, together with dozens of religion leaders, have joined forces, calling on Governor Parson to halt the execution. “We have to work out what went fallacious earlier than, not after. Now’s the time,” stated Chapel. He urged residents to proceed pressuring the governor, asking them to name and demand a direct halt to the execution. “Religion leaders are praying to make sure that Mr. Williams isn’t murdered. Each Missourian can be complicit on this grave injustice if the execution goes ahead.”

A Legacy of Racial Violence

Williams’ case is emblematic of the systemic racism plaguing the prison authorized system, significantly in instances the place Black and Brown people are disproportionately focused for capital punishment. His trial jury consisted of 11 white jurors and just one Black juror. The racial bias in jury choice, mixed with the reliance on paid testimony and the whole absence of forensic proof tying Williams to the crime, has led advocates to liken this to a modern-day lynching.

“The dying penalty, particularly in instances like this, is an extension of the lengthy historical past of racial violence on this nation,” Smith defined. “Missouri is as soon as once more exhibiting that Black lives, Black our bodies, might be disposed of by the state with out consequence.”

It is a creating story. The Defender will proceed reporting stay from Jefferson Metropolis.