#FREEKHALIIFAH

DNA Evidence Proves Marcellus “Khaliifah” Williams is Innocent, Yet Missouri Plans His Execution for September 24. Khaliifah faces execution on September 24 for a crime DNA evidence proves he did not commit. The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney reviewed the DNA results and filed a motion to vacate Williams's conviction, asserting the DNA evidence clearly exonerates him. The circuit court has set a hearing for August 21 to examine this exculpatory evidence and address the motion. Williams has spent 24 years on Missouri’s death row, consistently asserting his innocence. Felicia Gayle, a former reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, was found stabbed to death in her home on August 11, 1998. The crime scene was rich in forensic evidence, including fingerprints, a bloody shoe print, hair, and trace DNA on the murder weapon. None of this evidence matched Williams. The prosecution's case relied heavily on testimonies from two witnesses who were incentivized with leniency in their own criminal cases and reward money. One witness, Henry Cole, claimed Williams confessed to him while they were in jail. He directed police to Laura Asaro, a former girlfriend of Williams with a significant criminal record. Both witnesses provided information inconsistent with their own previous statements, each other’s accounts, and the crime scene evidence. The only other evidence was a witness who testified Williams sold him a laptop taken from the victim’s home, without mentioning that Williams had received the laptop from Asaro. Incentivized informant testimony, which played a critical role in Williams's conviction, is a leading cause of wrongful convictions, particularly in death penalty cases. Furthermore, racial bias contributed to Williams's wrongful conviction. Williams, a Black man, was convicted by a nearly all-white jury, with the prosecutor removing most Black jurors. Studies have shown racial disparities in the application of the death penalty in St. Louis County, with defendants more likely to receive the death penalty if the victim is white. New DNA Testing Confirms Innocence, But No Court Has Reviewed It. Despite new DNA testing confirming Williams's innocence, no court has thoroughly reviewed this evidence. In 2015, DNA testing showed Williams was not the source of the male DNA found on the murder weapon. However, in 2017, the Missouri Supreme Court scheduled his execution without considering these results. Then-Governor Eric Greitens stayed the execution hours before it was to occur and convened a Board of Inquiry to review the case. This Board was dissolved by Governor Mike Parson in June 2023 without issuing a report or recommendation. Consequently, a new execution date was promptly sought. St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, after reviewing the DNA evidence, concluded Williams is innocent. This review, supported by findings from three independent DNA experts, confirmed Williams was not the source of the DNA on the weapon or other forensic evidence at the crime scene. In January 2024, Bell filed a motion to vacate Williams's conviction, urging the circuit court to correct this miscarriage of justice. Despite the pending motion and legal requirements for a hearing, the Missouri Attorney General has maintained that Williams's innocence is irrelevant, and the Missouri Supreme Court has scheduled his execution. Historically, the Attorney General's office has opposed innocence claims, including efforts by local prosecutors to overturn wrongful convictions, as seen in the recent exonerations of Kevin Strickland and Lamar Johnson. The August 21 hearing will be a critical moment for reviewing the DNA evidence and potentially correcting this grave injustice.