State Vs Williams Case Study

I chose to write about State v. Williams. This case recently received a great deal of media attention, as Marcellus Williams was scheduled to be executed despite new DNA evidence casted doubt on his involvement in the murder of Felicia Gayle. The following is a synopsis of the case, and procedural history to-date.

In August 1998, Felicia Gayle was murdered in her home when an intruder stabbed her 43 times. In addition to the murder several items were missing from her home including a laptop, the laptop case, and her purse. The murder remained unsolved until late 1999.

Marcellus Williams, had an extensive criminal record, and was incarcerated for an unrelated crime. In 1999, Williams' cellmate Henry Cole was released from prison,

he alleged that while incarcerated Williams had confessed to him that he had killed Gayle. As a result, law enforcement interview Williams' ex-girlfriend Laura Asaro. She too claimed that Williams had confessed to the murder of Gayle. Asaro was also able to tell police were the items stolen from the home could be found. It is important to note that these witnesses came forward after a $10,000 reward was posted for information regarding Gayle's death. Williams' asserts that his girlfriend was in fact the one involved in the robbery and homicide. No physical evidence existed directly connecting Williams' to the crime.
Williams' was convicted of first-degree murder, first-degree burglary, first-degree robbery, and two counts of armed criminal action; he was sentenced to death for these crimes. Due to the nature of the sentence, Williams naturally attempted several appeals. The reasons for an appeal ranged from prosecutorial misconduct to notes taken by jurors.
In January 2015, Williams' received a stay of execution from the Missouri Supreme Court. The stay was granted to Wiliams' defense counsel so that DNA testing could be conducted. The results ultimately showed that Wiliams' DNA was not on the murder weapon, and in fact the DNA on the weapon belonged to another unidentified male. Additionally, hair fibers from the scene were proven to also be from another individual.
Although new evidence existed, a judge did not allow for the presentation of the evidence to the court and ruled that the execution was to go forward; on August 22, 2017, Williams' was scheduled to be executed. Hours before the execution the Governor of Missouri, Eric Greitens overrode the judges decision and halted the execution. Greitens' will be appointing five former Missouri judges to conduct in inquiry, and determine whether Williams' should be executed or provided if the death sentence should be commuted.