Based upon intense pressure from the community, Gov. Grietens granted Marcellus Williams a stay just hours before his scheduled execution. While this is a victory, we cannot get complacent.
Greitens’s decision came after Williams’s attorneys produced DNA evidence found on the murder weapon that matched another unknown person. In his usual racist rants, St Louis county prosecutor Bob McCulloch claimed there was “zero possibility” that Williams was innocent and should be executed.
The governor will appoint a five-member board of inquiry to make a recommendation in the case. We must keep the pressure on and monitor all proceedings. Stay tuned.