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| Marcellus William |
A request for a stay of execution was filed Monday for a Missouri death row inmate who's slated to die next week.
New tests show that Marcellus Williams' DNA was not found on the knife that was used in the 1998 killing of former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Felicia Gayle in University City, according to Williams' attorney, Kent Gipson of Kansas City.
Gipson said the DNA belongs to an unknown man. "We have 2 expert opinions based on the data that the male DNA found on the knife does not match him. And there are several points of dissimilarity. There's really no doubt about it," Gipson told St. Louis Public Radio.
He added that they're looking for a new trial, or "at the very least reduce his sentence from the death penalty to the life sentence."
If granted, it would be the 2nd stay of execution for Williams. The 1st was granted in January 2015 by the state Supreme Court, which mandated the new DNA tests.
It isn't clear when the court will make a decision. Williams is scheduled to be executed on Aug. 22.
Attorney General Josh Hawley didn't immediately return a request for comment.
Department of Corrections spokesman David Owen recently said in an email that the agency is "prepared to carry out the ... execution in accordance to the lethal injection protocol established in 2013." The state uses 1 drug, the sedative pentobarbital, in executions, and has refused to disclose the supplier.
Source: stlpublicradio.org, August 15, 2017
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