On Thursday, a judge refused to overturn the conviction and death sentence of Marcellus Williams, a Missouri man set for execution later this month for the stabbing death of a woman in 1998, even though there were doubts regarding the DNA evidence on the knife involved in the assault, The Associated Press reports. His execution by lethal injection is scheduled for Sept. 24 unless the courts or Republican Gov. Mike Parson intervene. Williams’ attorney, Tricia Bushnell, said in a statement that the Midwest Innocence Project “will continue pursuing every possible option to prevent Williams’ wrongful execution. There is still time for the courts or Governor Parson to ensure that Missouri does not commit the irreparable injustice of executing an innocent person.”
Williams, 55, was convicted in the killing of Lisha Gayle, a social worker and former reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. But last month, St. Louis County Circuit Judge Bruce Hilton presided over an evidentiary hearing challenging Williams’ guilt. In January, Democratic St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell had sought to vacate Williams' conviction due to questions about DNA evidence on the murder weapon. However, a new DNA report -- thought to be his best chance to prove his innocence -- revealed that the evidence was contaminated because officials in the prosecutor's office touched the knife without gloves before the original trial. Williams entered a new, no-contest plea to first-degree murder in exchange for a new sentence of life in prison without parole. Hilton signed off on the agreement. But the Missouri Attorney General’s Office did not. At Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s urging, the Missouri Supreme Court blocked the agreement.