Marcellus Williams

Written: August 29th, 2025

On September 24th of 2024, the state of Missouri executed a death row inmate by the name of Marcellus Williams. Williams, 55 years old, had been convicted and sentenced to death for the 1998 murder of a Saint Louis newspaper reporter.  He was the only suspect, even though none of the evidence was able to prove his guilt. The DNA found at the scene was not a match; neither was the DNA found on the murder weapon. The suspicion of Williams' guilt came from his girlfriend's claim of his guilt. Even without evidence, Williams was prosecuted and convicted. He was sentenced to death row. Williams decided to fight for his innocence. He reached out to any lawyer and organization he could, pleading for help. Eventually, he found some help. Williams was able to get the DNA retested. Unfortunately, things came back inconclusive due to cross-contamination. During the initial investigation, investigators mishandled the evidence, making any retesting nearly impossible. Williams still refused to give up. He was able to have his execution date moved twice by the lawyers fighting for his freedom. They called for the DNA to be retested one last time, and with a little luck, they were able to determine that Williams' DNA was not at the crime scene. Unfortunately, the state of Missouri decided to move forward with the execution.