The June 1st resignation of former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens has cast doubt over the fate of Marcellus Williams.
Williams—sentenced to death for the murder of Felicia Gayle in 1998—had his execution stayed by then Missouri Governor Greitens with only 4 hours to spare last August via an executive order.
The appointment of Mike Parson as the replacement for Greitens has cast doubt as to Williams’s future. A scheduled meeting by an elected Board of Inquiry—due to take place June 5th—has been cancelled.
Calls for Greitens to commute Williams’s death sentence to one of life imprisonment by the Innocence Project before his resignation were unsuccessful. Correspondence sent to the former governor’s counsel—dated May 31st—detailed further findings via DNA expert Dr. Charlotte Word and affidavits from lawyers who participated in Williams’s original trial. The full letter to Lucinder Luetkemeyer is linked below.
Letter from Innocence Project to Lucinda Luetkemeyer
A rally set to coincide with the board’s cancelled meeting is still due to take place on June 5th. While the circumstances have changed, the resonance of such a rally seems certain to be piqued with the increased uncertainty as to William’s future.
The rally will take place at 2.30pm on June 5th in front of the Missouri Supreme Court building. For further details please link here
The Criminal Justice Reform Journal will have further updates throughout the day as this story unfolds.
Update added 2.20pm CT.
If you wish to contact Governor Mike Parson, please do so via the following.
*At the time of publication Gov. Parson’s email was unavailable. I’m sure this is a temporary glitch. However feel free to contact the Chief of staff. This issue has now been resolved. All contact details below:
Email Form: Office of Missouri Governor Mike Parson
You can email Gov. Parson’s Chief of Staff:
ward.franz@ltgov.mo.gov
Or contact via phone or mail:
Office of Governor Michael L. Parson
P.O. Box 720
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Phone: (573) 751-3222
Obviously please be respectful. Gov. Parson has just taken office and should be afforded the opportunity to make his stance re Marcellus Williams known.
If you have any questions or queries regarding this article, or indeed anything CJReform related please don’t hesitate to contact me here.
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