Prosecutors raise concerns about lack of evidence as family of victim supports saving Williams from the death penalty

Missouri is slated to execute a man on death row on Tuesday, despite objections from prosecutors who have suggested he was wrongfully convicted.

Marcellus “Khaliifah” Williams, 55, is due to be killed by lethal injection even after the office of the St Louis county prosecuting attorney, which originally convicted him, sought to have his case overturned. Prosecutors have raised concerns about the lack of DNA evidence linking Williams to the 1998 killing of Lisha Gayle and have said that Williams did not get a fair trial.

Although the prosecuting office and victim’s family backed an agreement to have Williams avoid the death penalty, Missouri’s Republican attorney general, Andrew Bailey, has fought to allow the execution to proceed.

“The public doesn’t want this execution to move forward. The victim’s family doesn’t want this execution to move forward and the St Louis county prosecuting attorney’s office doesn’t want this execution to move forward,” said Jonathan Potts, one of Williams’s attorneys, in an interview Monday. “The attorney general’s office, who had nothing to do with this whatsoever, are the ones who are trying to lead him to the death chamber. It’s pretty startling and extraordinary.”

  • octopus_ink@lemmy.ml
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    7 months ago

    Missouri’s Republican attorney general, Andrew Bailey, has fought to allow the execution to proceed.

    "The attorney general’s office, who had nothing to do with this whatsoever, are the ones who are trying to lead him to the death chamber. It’s pretty startling and extraordinary.”

    I recognize that this is a horrible tragedy for this man and his family, and I hope there is somehow a last-second reprieve, but let this be yet another reminder - R is the party for those with no empathy, no compassion, no concern for anyone not like them. (and that includes the ones jumping from Trump’s sinking ship to cozy up to Harris.) If a Republican is running for any position in your town, any at all, vote for someone else.

    • Feathercrown
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      7 months ago

      It’s almost comical how easily you can predict the party affiliations in these stories.

        • Feathercrown
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          7 months ago

          Rule 465: Anyone pushing both sides is actually just pushing one side with plausible deniability.

        • Soggy
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          7 months ago

          But I’ve been told in no uncertain terms that .ml and hexbear were the instances full of people arguing in bad faith…

  • VelvetStorm
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    7 months ago

    Well, I mean, they don’t want to appear lenient on the wrongfully convicted.

  • apfelwoiSchoppen
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    7 months ago

    The “pro-life” party is filled with genocide apologists, pedophiles, and murderers.

  • Makeitstop
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    7 months ago

    Isn’t this the same attorney general that refused to release prisoners that had been exonerated?

  • Jay@lemmy.ca
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    7 months ago

    So at what point can this just be called what it is? Murder. A republican is trying to take advantage of his position to murder a black man.

    • boydster@sh.itjust.works
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      7 months ago

      This murder will be an actual example of a post-term abortion that the right has been pretending to be scared of, ironically enough

    • Roflmasterbigpimp
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      7 months ago

      I’m pretty sure Republicans are quite content with the current legal system, but they hate abortions, so it’s more like…a burning homeless shelter? A Puppy- stomping-Yard? An all-you-can-touch daycare?..uhm… What do republicans like else?

    • AngryCommieKender
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      7 months ago

      We don’t have a legal system. That assumes that figuring out if the law was broken is the primary goal. We have a punishment system. The primary goal is to hand out the harshest punishment that they can get away with, provided you don’t have the financial means to be fast tracked over to the slap on the wrist system set aside for rich folks.

      The system is working as intended.

  • BigBenis
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    7 months ago

    The “pro life” party sure seems to get something out of killing people

  • otter@lemmy.zip
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    7 months ago

    Andrew Bailey is the absolute worst and wasn’t even elected. He was appointed by the governor after his predecessor was elected to the Senate. Somehow it looks like he is going to win in November which is so depressing.

  • BradleyUffner
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    7 months ago

    Holy shit, even the prosecutors have concerns? When they have concerns about the punishment, you know you seriously screwed up and need to reevaluate.

  • Viking_Hippie
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    7 months ago

    At which point do we start calling Andrew Bailey what he is, a murderer?

  • Gork@lemm.ee
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    The attorney general argued in court that the prosecutor at the time denied racial motivations for removing Black jurors and asserted there was nothing improper about touching the murder weapon without gloves at the time.

    The attorney general is an idiot and lacking in basic evidence collection knowledge.

    • Soggy
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      7 months ago

      Don’t give them the benefit of the doubt.

    • SirDerpy
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      7 months ago

      I’ve never seen Australian exceptionalism. But, I’m not surprised.

    • Glitterbomb
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      7 months ago

      Was it a kangaroo that firebombed friendlyjordies house?