Prosecutor Moves to Overturn Decades-Long Death Row Conviction
St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell is seeking to vacate the conviction of Marcellus Williams, who has been on Missouri's death row since 2001 for a murder he claims he did not commit. New DNA evidence found on the murder weapon and serious flaws in the case, including poor defense lawyering and misconduct by prosecutors, have cast doubt on Williams's conviction. Bell is invoking a new provision of Missouri law that allows prosecutors to intervene in cases when there is information suggesting the convicted person may be innocent. The request comes as Missouri's attorney general has asked for an execution date for Williams.