A Missouri man could be executed this fall for a crime he says he didn’t commit. How flawed is the evidence tying him to this crime, and what have been the efforts to exonerate him?

Earlier this month, the Missouri Supreme Court set a September 24 execution date for Marcellus Williams, a man convicted of killing Saint Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Felicia Gayle in 1998. Williams was sentenced to death. He was almost executed in 2017. But at the last minute, former Governor Eric Greitens stayed the execution because of DNA evidence. He formed a board of inquiry to further investigate the case.

The Midwest Innocence Project took on Williams’ case and is now circulating a petition to stop his execution. Executive Director Tricia Rojo Bushnell joined host Nomin Ujiyediin to talk about the case for Williams’ innocence.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by David McKeel and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Lisa Rodriguez.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.