The case against Mr. Williams turned on the testimony of two unreliable witnesses who were incentivized by promises of leniency in their own pending criminal cases and reward money. The investigation had gone cold until a jail inmate named Henry Cole, a man with a lengthy record, claimed that Mr. Williams confessed to him that he committed the murder while they were both locked up in jail. Cole directed police to Laura Asaro, a woman who had briefly dated Mr. Williams and had an extensive record of her own.
Both of these individuals were known fabricators; neither revealed any information that was not either included in media accounts about the case or already known to the police. Their statements were inconsistent with their own prior statements, with each other’s accounts, and with the crime scene evidence, and none of the information they provided could be independently verified
Jailhouse informant testimony, like that leading to Mr. Williams’ conviction, is one of the leading contributing factors of wrongful convictions nationally, playing a role in 15% of the 598 DNA-based exoneration cases. Eleven of the 54 individuals exonerated in Missouri were convicted with the use of informant testimony.
In capital cases, false testimony from incentivized witnesses is the leading cause of wrongful convictions, with informant testimony present in 49.5% of wrongful convictions since the mid-1970s, according to the Center on Wrongful Convictions.
How could any jury convict with such inconsistencies with the "witnesses"?
Important to note that a number of the jury members were also part of movement trying to stop the execution, now to some likely reasons:
They likely did not have access to the "witness" historic, thinking they testimony was just as valuable as any other (aka they were presented as trustworthy). Also they did not have some information that came out later (like the investigators fingerprints and dna in the scene and I think weapon).
Then they had a person that with their knowledge was "likely guilty" even if not fully conclusive - then add the peer pressure from people that were likely to go guilty and those wanting to go home and you got the original result and you have the result that "beyond doubt" is taken lightly
While people might just say "dumb people"...its moreso a matter of representation. Unfortunately, some prosecutors are REALLLLLLY good at getting people to think they know something beyond "reasonable doubt"
I guess the defense lawyer was just spinning in their chair and looking out the window instead of pointing all this out to the jury. I mean, isn't this what cross examination is all about? Showing that witnesses are making shit up when they are?
They had information only known to the murderer and police. And they both independently said it was Marcellus, and then his car was searched and had items in it stolen at the time of the murder. And he didn't dispute that he sold a laptop taken at the time of the murder.
It doesn't really matter how reliable a witness is when they have information that only the murderer would know. Like how would his jail mate know he was involved at all?
I look at the photo and see a man who looks to be one tweed jacket away from being a college professor.
But, yeah, basically a modern day lynching. I wonder what the governor would have done if he had less melanin as apparently the rate in which someone produces vitamin D from sunlight is what matters to these folk.
I’m against the death penalty in general, but if we have to have it, there should be a ridiculously high standard of evidence. For example, school shooters. If you shot kids and there’s photographic evidence of you walking into the building and you were caught on the scene, there’s no doubt whatsoever. Witness testimony is notoriously unreliable. I can’t believe this kind of shit is still happening in 2024. Totally barbaric.
Some of the information provided by Laura was only known to police. How did she have that info? That and Williams sold the victims laptop to someone. The innocence project admits that part but doesn’t explain how that happened. Williams and the witnesses all have extensive criminal history’s and are equally credible.
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u/LocalSad6659 8h ago
More info....
https://innocenceproject.org/who-is-marcellus-williams-man-facing-execution-in-missouri-despite-dna-evidence-supporting-innocence/