For the Third Time, Marcellus Williams Faces Execution: The Grim Reality Unfolding
It’s up to Gov. Mike Parson to grant clemency and commute Mr. Williams’ sentence to life without parole.
Urgent 09.20.24 By Jess Natale (so.informed) and Innocence Staff
Marcellus Williams (Image courtesy of Marcellus’ legal team).
Case update from Sept. 24: Missouri executed Marcellus Williams.
There is no reliable evidence proving that Marcellus Williams committed the crime for which he is scheduled to be executed on Sept. 24.
The state of Missouri destroyed or corrupted the evidence that could conclusively prove his innocence and the available DNA and other forensic crime-scene evidence does not match him. Time is running out to stop Missouri from executing an innocent man. It’s up to Gov. Mike Parson to grant clemency and commute Mr. Williams’ sentence to life without parole, or, at a minimum, stay the execution for further appeals to be resolved.
With Mr. Williams’ execution date fast approaching, this is his current reality:
By now, the State will have asked Mr. Williams to fill out the paperwork about who he wants to witness the execution, if anyone, and if he has a spiritual advisor he’d like to be present. This week the State will also be asking him who he wants to leave his property and paperwork to.
And they provide the contact information for who his lawyers should contact to pick up his body. At the end of this week, they will grab him, without notice, and move him from the prison he’s currently at, Potosi, to the prison in Bonne Terre, where the execution chamber is.
He will receive the paperwork for the last meal and last statement as soon as he arrives at Bonne Terre and will be pressured to fill it out immediately, with little to no time for thought or consultation with loved ones.
At about 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. on the day of the execution, they will cease all visits and he’ll be taken back for any final paperwork. After he is given his last meal, they will move him to the death chamber and begin strapping him in for the IV. The room will have windows, behind which will be four media witnesses, up to five witnesses for Mr. Williams if he requested them, and any witnesses from the victim’s family that want to be there. Usually there is a vigil held by protesters outside. There is also security at the entrance to the parking lot to keep anyone from coming on the property. Once the Attorney General calls the prison, they will begin the execution. The execution drugs will be administered after Mr. Williams reads his last statement. The average time for an IV execution ranges from seven to 11 minutes if not botched.
(The State moved the chamber away from Potosi because they found having the execution in the same prison caused a lot of mental harm to the guards, who knew those on death row for years before they were executed.)
Marcellus Williams (left) with his family. Images courtesy of the Williams family.
On the day of Mr. Williams’ scheduled execution…
Notably, Missouri has executed several people before all of their appeals were technically done.
The pentobarbital used by the state of Missouri was banned for use in executions by the manufacturer, but the state is still able to get the drug. The majority of pharmaceutical companies have stopped supplying drugs for use in executions after years of pressure from advocates. As supplies have become less available, states have illegally imported drugs across state lines and some states, including Missouri, have purchased the drugs from compounding pharmacies, which formulate drugs that are not available at commercial pharmacies.
(Compounding pharmacies are not required to register with the FDA or inform the FDA of what drugs they are making.)
Missouri buys the drugs used for their executions in cash from an unknown source.
Mr. Williams has repeatedly faced imminent execution as he has tried to prove his innocence.
Sept. 24 will be the third time that Mr. Williams has faced execution. In 2017, mere hours before he was to be executed and after eating his last meal, then-Gov. Eric Greitens granted a stay of execution. Despite the fact that the victim’s family opposes his execution, the Missouri Attorney General has continued to fight to execute Mr. Williams at every turn. It is not too late for Gov. Parson to ensure that Missouri does not take an innocent man’s life. The governor should exercise his authority to grant clemency and commute Mr. Williams’ sentence to life without parole, or, at a minimum, stay the execution to allow the resolution of further appeals.
Help prevent an irreversible injustice. Save Marcellus.
- Call Gov. Parson at 417-373-3400 and urge him to stop this execution.
“Hi, my name is [NAME] and I am calling regarding Marcellus Williams. I urge Governor Parson to stop the scheduled execution on September 24. Marcellus Williams is an innocent man and the state of Missouri has admitted this after reviewing the DNA evidence. Executing an innocent individual is not only a stain on morality but also an egregious wrong that cannot be undone.”
Call between Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. CST
- Sign the petition to stop Mr. Williams’ execution.
- Share Mr. Williams’ case on all social media channels using our social media toolkit.
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September 25, 2024 at 9:46 am
September 24, 2024 at 6:31 pm
Do not execute an innocent man. If the Governor is somehow reading this, think of the pain and hopelessness you are going to cause Marcellus and his family members. We know he is innocent. You know he is innocent. Recollect your thoughts. Think. Take a few breaths. Whatever you do, we beg you not to unrightfully take this man’s life.
If there was a shadow of a doubt Execution becomes murder