A Missouri man on trial for a crime he says he didn’t commit has a hearing scheduled for Wednesday in St. Louis County to prove his innocence.
The case was adjourned because the lawyers reached an agreement, a so-called consent judgment.
Marcellus “Khaliifah” Williams, 55, faces execution on September 24.
The terms of the sentence were not immediately released.
An evidentiary hearing was scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to prove Williams’ innocence in court. Instead, attorneys for Williams and the Missouri Attorney General’s office negotiated the terms of the agreement behind closed doors.
St. Louis County District Judge Bruce Hilton said around 11:20 a.m. that an agreement had been reached and that court would reconvene at 1 p.m.
He said lawyers had been dealing with the “emotional, difficult issue”.
Prosecutors support Williams’ claims of innocence. In January, they filed a motion to throw out his conviction, saying there was no physical evidence linking him to the 1998 murder of Felicia Gayle.
A unique Missouri law that went into effect in 2021 allows prosecutors to intervene if they have information that an inmate is innocent or “wrongfully convicted.”
The Missouri Attorney General’s office, led by Andrew Bailey, has been particularly hostile to claims of innocence.
Long legal battle
Williams was convicted in August 2001 and a series of appeals filed since 2003 were rejected.
He was previously executed, in January 2015 and August 2017. Those executions were halted to allow for DNA testing and further investigation.
After issuing the second extension, former Gov. Eric Greitens appointed a commission of inquiry to look into the matter.
In June 2023, Governor Mike Parson lifted the ban and dissolved the board without much explanation. It is unclear whether the board made a recommendation in Williams’ case or not.
The Missouri Supreme Court issued the execution order in June, despite a case filed on Williams’ behalf by St. Louis County prosecutors in January.
The Missouri attorney general’s office tried to stop Wednesday’s hearing, but the Missouri Supreme Court rejected that motion in late July.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
