Missouri governor halts execution after DNA raises questions about guilt

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (R) on Tuesday issued a stay of execution for an inmate convicted of murder after DNA evidence threw the jury’s conclusion into doubt.

Marcellus Williams, 48, was scheduled to be executed Tuesday night for the 1998 murder of 42-year-old Felicia Gayle. According to court documents, DNA evidence from the murder weapon and the scene of the crime were not available during Williams’s trial in 2001. 

{mosads}
In a statement, Greitens wrote that the people of Missouri must have “confidence” that the justice system reached the correct conclusion.

“A sentence of death is the ultimate, permanent punishment,” Greitens said. “To carry out the death penalty, the people of Missouri must have confidence in the judgment of guilt. In light of new information, I am appointing a Board of Inquiry in this case.”

BREAKING: @EricGreitens stays Williams execution. Follow @J_Hancock for more info. https://t.co/dOlpIcJGPk #moleg pic.twitter.com/i9p4Pb04Lc

— Bryan Lowry (@BryanLowry3) August 22, 2017

CNN reported on Tuesday that DNA analysis of the knife used in the murder revealed no traces of Williams’s DNA but did return traces of another man’s DNA. Other DNA samples from hair taken at the scene do not match Williams, and a footprint found at the scene also doesn’t match Williams’s shoes, according to defense attorneys.

A statement issued by prosecutors Monday calls on the state to continue with Williams’s execution, arguing that non-DNA evidence proves Williams was involved in the crime.

“Based on the other, non-DNA, evidence in this case, our office is confident in Marcellus Williams’s guilt and plans to move forward,” said a spokeswoman for Missouri’s attorney general.

“It would be unsurprising if Williams, who wore a coat from the crime scene to cover his bloody shirt, wore gloves when he committed the burglary and the murder,” prosecutors added in court documents.

The execution was originally planned for Tuesday at 7 p.m. local time.