Overview

• NAACP President Derrick Johnson has called on Governor Mike Parson to halt the execution of Marcellus Williams, citing potential wrongful conviction.
• Williams, scheduled for execution next Tuesday, has maintained his innocence, with no physical evidence linking him to the 1998 murder of Lisha Gayle.
• Prosecutors and the Midwest Innocence Project have filed multiple appeals, including an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, to stay the execution.
• Relatives of the victim, Lisha Gayle, oppose the execution and support commutation of Williams' sentence to life without parole.
• The case has raised significant concerns about racial bias, as Williams' original trial included only one Black juror and relied on testimonies from convicted felons seeking rewards.