The NAACP is urgently calling on Missouri Governor Mike Parson to stop the execution of Marcellus Williams, a, a Black man who’s been on death row for years, maintaining his innocence. In an open letter, NAACP President Derrick Johnson and Missouri State Conference President Nimrod Chapel Jr. warned that executing Williams would be a “horrible miscarriage of justice” and a reflection of Missouri’s troubling racial past.
“Taking the life of Marcellus Williams would be an unequivocal statement that when a white woman is killed, a Black man must die. And any Black man will do,” Johnson wrote in the open letter.
Williams, now 55, was convicted of the 1998 murder of Felicia Gayle, a former newspaper reporter. A statement from the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office included in Johnson’s letter indicates that no physical evidence links Williams to Lisha Gayle’s 1998 stabbing death. Executing Williams would perpetuate a history of racial injustice in the use of the death penalty in Missouri and elsewhere, Johnson wrote. The NAACP is opposed to the death penalty.
Williams is scheduled to be executed on September 24. But his lawyers say there’s more to the story and are pushing the US Supreme Court to step in, arguing that Williams’ rights were violated throughout his legal battle. Back in 2017, then-Governor Eric Greitens actually paused Williams’ execution and created a special board to take a deeper look at the case. This board spent six years investigating whether clemency should be granted, but when Governor Mike Parson took over, he disbanded the board and reinstated Williams’ execution. Williams’ lawyers say this move violated his due process rights since the board never got to finish its work.
“The Board investigated Williams’ case for the next six years — until Governor Parson abruptly terminated the process,” his defense team explained in court documents acording to CNN.. “The Governor’s actions have violated Williams’ constitutional rights and created an exceptionally urgent need for the Court’s attention.”
There are other red flags too. Earlier this year, St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell raised concerns about mistakes made during Williams’ original trial, including the removal of a potential Black juror due to race.
“These would be key issues for the Board of Inquiry’s consideration in whether to recommend clemency instead of execution — if the Governor had not wrongly dissolved the Board,” the documents say.
Despite these issues, a judge recently denied a motion to vacate Williams’ conviction, leaving his legal team scrambling for another option before the scheduled execution.
US Rep. Cori Bush also weighed in, sending a letter to Governor Parson urging him to spare Williams’ life. “We are urging you to immediately commute Mr. Williams’ sentence and halt his execution,” Bush wrote. She went on to stress that executing Williams would be a “grave injustice” and would leave a lasting scar, especially as his defense continues to fight for his innocence.
As the clock ticks down, Williams’ supporters are hoping for a last-minute intervention that could save his life.