A St. Louis County judge has upheld the murder conviction of Marcellus Williams, ruling that a prosecutor who contaminated key evidence by handling it without wearing gloves before Williams’s trial had not acted in “bad faith,” but was following normal procedure. The ruling, issued by Circuit Court Judge Bruce Hilton, dismantles Williams’s latest attempt to prove his innocence and paves the way for his execution on September 24.
A Deal Undone
Three weeks prior to the ruling, a deal had been agreed upon between Williams and St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell’s office that would have spared Williams’s life. The agreement, based on the recent discovery that prosecutors had failed to adequately preserve the murder weapon used in the case, would have seen Williams sentenced to life in prison. However, lawyers representing Attorney General Andrew Bailey argued against the deal, stating that Hilton did not have the authority to resentence Williams. The Missouri Supreme Court intervened and ordered Hilton to hold an evidentiary hearing instead.
During the hearing, Bell and Williams’s attorneys argued that the contamination of the murder weapon violated Williams’s rights. However, lawyers representing the attorney general maintained that handling evidence without protection was standard practice at the time of Williams’s trial. Hilton ultimately agreed with the attorney general’s position.
The Controversial Case
Marcellus Williams has maintained his innocence in the murder case. No crime scene evidence directly linked him to the killing, and he has long argued that testing of the murder weapon could prove his innocence. However, his request to test the knife for DNA before trial was denied, and he was convicted in 2001 based on the testimony of two informants. In 2016, DNA testing revealed unknown genetic material on the knife’s handle.
Based on the unidentified DNA, Bell filed a motion in January to vacate Williams’s conviction. A new Missouri law allowed elected prosecutors to undo convictions they believed were wrongly obtained. The court was scheduled to hold an evidentiary hearing, where a special-appointed counsel would argue for Williams’s release. However, additional testing on the knife revealed that neither the prosecutor nor his investigator could be excluded as the source of the unknown DNA, rendering any potential crime scene DNA on the knife lost due to the prosecution team’s mishandling of the evidence.
“There Is Still Time”
In his ruling, Hilton concluded that because the prosecutor’s actions were not intentional, Williams’s rights had not been violated. The handling of the knife was deemed part of the prosecution’s normal practices. Hilton also rejected Williams and Bell’s other claims, including ineffective representation by Williams’s previous attorneys and allegations of racial bias in jury selection.
Williams’s legal team plans to continue seeking relief through the courts and Governor Mike Parsons, who has the power to grant clemency. Tricia Rojo Bushnell, executive director of the Midwest Innocence Project, emphasized the importance of preventing the execution of an innocent person and vowed to pursue every possible option to ensure justice is served.
In conclusion, the ruling upholding Marcellus Williams’s murder conviction has dashed his hopes of proving his innocence. Despite the contamination of key evidence, the judge determined that the prosecutor had not acted in bad faith. Williams’s legal team will continue to fight for justice and seek relief through the courts and the governor. The case highlights the importance of preserving evidence and ensuring a fair trial to prevent the wrongful conviction and execution of innocent individuals.