Execution date set for Missouri inmate, even as he awaits hearing on claim of actual innocence

The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday set a Sept. 24 execution date for Marcellus Williams, even as the inmate awaits a court hearing on his claim that he was not involved in the murder that landed him on death row.

The state Supreme Court set the date hours after it ruled that Republican Gov. Mike Parson was within his rights last year when he dissolved a board of inquiry convened six years earlier by Parson’s predecessor to investigate Williams’ innocence claim.

Williams, 55, was convicted of first-degree murder in the 1998 death of Lisha Gayle during a robbery of her suburban St. Louis home. He was hours away from execution in August 2017 when then-Gov. Eric Greitens, also a Republican, halted the process and ordered an investigation. Greitens cited DNA testing unavailable at the time of the killing showing that DNA on the knife used to stab Gayle matched someone else, not Williams.

Separately, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell filed a motion in January to vacate the murder conviction. Bell cited the new DNA evidence and said he believed Williams was not involved in Gayle’s death. A 2021 Missouri law allows prosecuting attorneys to file a motion to vacate a conviction if they believe the inmate could be innocent or was otherwise erroneously convicted. The filing prompts a hearing before a judge.

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