LDF President Urges Missouri’s Governor to Stop Marcellus “Khalifah” Williams’ Execution

Source:

LDF's President and Director-Counsel Janai Nelson has sent a letter to Missouri's Governor Parson, urging him to stop the execution of Marcellus "Khalifah" Williams scheduled for September 24, 2024. Last month, the Circuit Court of St. Louis County entered a consent judgment accepting the Alford plea of Mr. Williams and sentencing Mr. Williams to life without the possibility of parole. That plea was agreed to by the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney but subsequently derailed by the Attorney General. Without intervention, Mr. Williams is to be executed by the State of Missouri this Tuesday, September 24, 2024.

Mr. Williams has presented compelling evidence he is innocent of the murder of Felicia Gayle, and the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney has admitted that his conviction was based on unreliable evidence and marred by constitutional violations. The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney has further admitted that its office has mishandled key DNA evidence in the case that could conclusively prove Mr. Williams' innocence. Ms. Gayle's family is also opposed to an execution.

There's still time for the courts or Governor Parson to stop Missouri from making this irreversible mistake.

Read the full letter here.

You can help Mr. Williams by calling Governor Parson at 417-373-3400 and sharing the Innocence Project's petition.

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Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation's first civil rights law organization. LDF's Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Please note that LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957-although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights.