Marcellus Williams faces execution despite new evidence

Al Jazeera ^ | 21th August 2017 | Yarno Ritzen

[Ennis85]

On Tuesday night, the US state of Missouri is planning to execute Marcellus Williams despite a new report from a DNA expert that his lawyers argue supports his claim to innocence.

In 2001, Williams, who is now 48, was convicted of the 1998 killing of Lisha Gayle. But his lawyers say new DNA evidence could exonerate him. The Missouri Supreme Court, however, has refused to review that evidence.

Williams' lawyer, Kent Gipson, has described the Supreme Court's decision as "baffling".

"We petitioned the court to look at the new evidence on August 14th, and less than 24 hours later they decided based on the court files that the execution should go ahead anyway. This is unprecedented," Gipson told Al Jazeera.

Williams, who has always claimed he is innocent, was sentenced to death in 2001, three years after Gayle, a former newspaper reporter, was murdered in her home in a gated community in St Louis, Missouri. He was originally due to be executed on January 28, 2015, but Missouri's high court decided to postpone the execution to allow time for new DNA tests to be conducted.

Those tests showed that the male DNA on the murder weapon, a knife, was not Williams' but belonged to a third, unknown person.

"There is no physical evidence, no eyewitnesses that directly connect Williams to the murder, the DNA on the weapon wasn't his, the bloody footprint at the murder scene wasn't from Williams' shoe and was a different size, and the hair fibres found weren't his," said Gipson. "It was someone else that killed Gayle, not Williams."

How was Williams convicted?

During Williams' trial, the prosecution based its case on the testimonies of two people, Henry Cole and Laura Asaro.

[Eagles6]

Creepers=Freepers. Dang Spelchek.

[Eagles6]

DNA was an unknown male. Knife was from the home. Could have been the husband’s or any visitor that was invited for dinner.

[KC_Conspirator]

Yes, this person was in fact in possession of items taken from the crime scene, the primary one being the laptop. The other testimony from 2 different people just add to it.

I dont blame the governor for wanting to wait, but barring anything else magically proving his innocence, this guy needs to pay the price for such a vicious murder.

I like the Innocence Project, but there have been times where they put their faith in complete guilty liars.

[SaveFerris]

Did they wait? I hadn’t seen.

The laptop is pretty damning. If he got it from somebody else, he should have trumpeted that big time.

I’d like to know if his fingerprints were on the laptop in any form.

[KC_Conspirator]

It is confirmed he was in possession of the laptop as he sold it to a guy a day or two after the murder. His girlfriend also saw it in his possession before he sold it. He was also in possession of other items belonging to the victim which were recovered from his car.

Thats pretty hard evidence, DNA or not.

DNA can convict or exonerate, but its not the only evidence. Too many times people think that its the only thing needed.

This guy apparently threatened the life of his girlfriend and her children if she ever said anything after admitting to the crime. Not a guy I would like to be back out in society.

[SaveFerris]

Yeah, sure sounded like he is guilty.

I read about the trunk of the Buick(?) but don’t remember the details. I’d have to look again.

[Repealthe17thAmendment]

The al-jazeera conveniently omits other non-DNA, and non-eyewitness evidence that was part of the prosecutions case.

Several items belonging to the victim were found in Williams' car by police after the murder. Also, her laptop was sold by Williams to an acquaintance.

Taking out the DNA and eyewitness testimony, Williams clearly was involved in some aspects of the crime. Was he the killer, or an accomplice? Who knows, but this is definitely not a case of mistaken identity. A weak prosecution case? Maybe.