CLAYTON, Mo. – Attorneys for death row inmate Marcellus Williams are pointing to contaminated murder weapon and no sign of the convicted man’s DNA in the hopes of sparing their client from execution next month.

The hearing before Judge Bruce Hilton at the St. Louis County Courthouse was originally scheduled to take place on August 22 but never happened after other developments unfolded.

Williams is set to be executed on September 24 for the murder of former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Lisha Gayle. Williams has always maintained his innocence.

Attorneys said testing that was not available at the time of the killing showed that the DNA on the knife matched someone else and not Williams.

Judge Hilton allowed six hours of testimony from both sides that could stop the execution. More than 12,000 pages of evidence have been submitted.

The first witness—a certified forensic interviewer—offered expert testimony, saying the two informants who helped convict Williams were enticed by a $10,000 reward. He said their statements were inconsistent and, at times, contradicted evidence.

The state fired back and asked the expert witness what he is being paid for his expert analysis.

Meanwhile, Judge Joseph Green, who represented Williams years ago as a public defender, said he didn’t have time to properly prepare for Williams’ case because he was also representing Kenneth Baumruk in a high-profile case in which Baumruk killed his wife at the St. Louis County Circuit Court.

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Green said he was denied a requested extension.

Green also testified that there was no physical evidence of fingerprints, just word of mouth from prosecutors.

A DNA expert testified Williams’ DNA was nowhere to be found to connect him to Gayle’s murder. Gayle was found stabbed to death inside her University City home in August 1998.

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell asked for the evidentiary hearing after filing a motion to vacate Williams’ conviction. That hearing never happened after authorities revealed the DNA on the knife was contaminated by being mishandled at trial; and shocking testimony from the original prosecutor in the case, Keith Larner, who said he touched the murder weapon several times because he was told the suspect wore gloves.

Larner also testified why he dismissed six of the seven Black potential jurors, leaving one Black juror for the trial.

Last week, all parties agreed to vacate Williams’ original conviction if Williams entered an Alford plea, in which he would maintain his innocence but acknowledge prosecutors likely had enough evidence to convict him.

But Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey intervened, and the Missouri Supreme court ordered Wednesday’s evidentiary hearing.

It’s unclear when the judge will rule on the case after hearing all the evidence.

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