UPDATE: On August 6th, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced he will allow a panel of five former judges to review the death penalty case of Marcellus Williams, whose guilt in the stabbing death of a former newspaper reporter has been called into question by DNA evidence. The inquiry was initially ordered last year by then-Gov. Eric Greitens.

The review panel will meet Wednesday, August 22nd. There will be a rally for #JusticeforMarcellus in Jefferson City on the Court House - steps at 10:30 am on 8/22.

Please continue supporting this petition to help fully commute the death sentence of Marcellus Williams.

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Marcellus Williams was scheduled to be executed on Tuesday, August 22, 2017. He was convicted of the August 11, 1998, robbery and murder of 42-year-old Felicia Gayle in her St. Louis home.

But there is no physical evidence linking him to the crime – none of the DNA evidence matches Marcellus. He was convicted based on the testimony of two individuals with troubling pasts and who received significant consideration, including monetary compensation, from the prosecutor's office.

African American men like Marcellus are arrested and convicted at significantly higher rates than any other ethnic group. The disparity is in fact so high that Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) recently introduced legislation that would reduce funds for prison staffing and construction from states with such disproportionate arrest rates.

Sign this petition now to stop the execution of Marcellus Williams!

Missouri’s death penalty laws are broken for many reasons, including but not limited to: racial injustice, disparities in representation and sentencing, and prosecutorial misconduct. For example in Missouri, an individual is 14 times more likely to receive a death sentence when the homicide victim is a white woman. These issues are all present in Marcellus Williams’ case.

Unless you act now, Marcellus Williams will be put to death. Sign this petition urging Governor Parsons to grant Marcellus a commutation and stop his execution!