A death row inmate in Missouri who has long claimed his innocence and is scheduled to be executed in less than one week asked the US Supreme Court on Wednesday for a stay of execution, arguing his due process rights were denied during the yearslong legal battle to save his life.

Williams' case demonstrates how the death penalty in America is meted out in the most arbitrary manner—to those denied adequate legal counsel, those facing racial discrimination at trial, those railroaded to death on “technicalities,

A Missouri death row inmate has launched a flurry of appeals ahead of his scheduled September 24 execution date, maintaining his innocence in the 1998 murder of St. Louis newspaper reporter Felicia Gayle. Marcellus Williams, 55, has several avenues remaining that could halt the impending execution.

The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office will appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court a judge’s ruling upholding the conviction and death sentence for Marcellus Williams, whose execution is one week away.

The president of the NAACP is urging Missouri's governor to halt the execution of Marcellus Williams scheduled for Tuesday, writing that executing a Black man who says he was wrongfully convicted would amount to a “horrible miscarriage of justice.

NAACP calls on Missouri's Gov. Mike Parson to halt the execution of Marcellus Williams, a Black man on death row, citing racial bias and lack of evidence.

The NAACP is urging Missouri Governor Mike Parson to stop the scheduled execution of Marcellus Williams on Tuesday (September 24), Essence reports. Williams, now 55, was convicted in 1998 of killing former newspaper reporter Felicia Gayle.