<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3EZ8MS_0viMqeHk00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3EZ8MS_0viMqeHk00" width="1200" height="1949" ></figure><h2> Sign up to stay connected </h2> Get the top stories of the day around the DMV. In the days and hours before Marcellus “Khalifah” Williams’ execution in Missouri, dozens of law students in the D.C. metropolitan area continued to organize for his clemency by circulating a Change.org petition and sending letters to Governor Mike Parson (D) and other state-level officials. Brandon Robert Watts, a student in his third year at Howard University School of Law (HUSL), said he galvanized this local effort upon learning about Wiliams’ situation earlier this month. Watts, an aspiring criminal defense attorney, said he saw his incarcerated father and other imprisoned Black men in Williams, a death row inmate who, up until his death, continued to maintain his innocence in the 1998 stabbing death of Felicia Gayle, a white social worker and former journalist from the St. Louis metropolitan area. “This is [about the] broader issue of criminal justice and how Black men are treated in the criminal justice system,” Watts said. “When it comes to the death penalty, it’s mostly young, impoverished people who can’t afford legal representation who could look deeply into their case.” As Watts recounted, he and more than 50 law school colleagues from HUSL, Georgetown Law School, and University of District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law coordinated their efforts during meetings and group chats over the last couple of weeks. Their strategies, he said, include phone banking, hosting events, writing op-eds, and sending the template of a letter that anyone could sign and submit to Missouri Governor Parson’s office. However, for Watts, the issue didn’t just stop at Williams, but the broader issue of the death penalty. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0LIho1_0viMqeHk00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0LIho1_0viMqeHk00" width="1024" height="983" ><figcaption>The NAACP has issued an emergency call to Missouri’s Republican Gov. Mike Parson to stop the execution of Marcellus Williams (pictured), a Black man on death row who has consistently maintained his innocence. (Courtesy photo) </figcaption></figure> “The Biden-Harris administration said it would move to abolish the federal death penalty and the fact that they hadn’t is concerning,” Watts said. “Marcellus WIlliams is…just one of the hundreds of Black men who’ve been on death row. At its foundation, death row is a form of terror among Black people. In the south, lynching was a form of entertainment that found itself to our criminal justice system. The death penalty needs to be done away with at state and federal level.” On the afternoon of Sept. 23, a day before Williams’ execution by lethal injection, the Change.org petition had nearly 585,000 signatures. By that time, the Missouri Supreme Court was in the midst of last-minute arguments about the death penalty case. The Supreme Court would later decide to uphold Williams’ execution. Williams’ execution is Missouri’s third this year and the 15th in the United States. Gayle’s family had been at the forefront of efforts to halt the execution, opting instead for life without the possibility of parole. Law enforcement implicated Williams, now 55, with Gayle’s murder because of testimony from three people, including an inmate with whom he shared a cell while incarcerated on a different charge, and Williams’ girlfriend who said she saw Gayle’s purse and computer in Williams’ possession. Clemency proponents argued that both witness statements lacked credibility, due to enticements of reward money and, in the case of the Williams’ cellmate, a shorter sentence. Williams’ case has been making its way through the courts, at least since 2015 when DNA analysis suggested that another person could’ve been the culprit. In 2017, the state delayed Williams’ execution once again when then-Missouri Governor Eric Greitens issued a last-minute stay of execution. For the next six years, a panel of retired judges examined the new DNA and other aspects of the case, until Parson, in 2023, dissolved the panel and then-Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey asked the state’s supreme court to set an execution date. Despite his claims of innocence, Williams entered a no contest plea last month during an evidentiary hearing that revealed the likely contamination of DNA evidence by law enforcement. The Missouri Supreme Court, at the urging of Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, rejected the plea deal, which carries a life sentence without the possibility of parole and Williams’ admission of guilt. St. Louis County Circuit Court Judge Bruce Hilton also rejected Williams’ appeal. He did so, despite a motion that St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell filed earlier this year to vacate Williams’ conviction on the basis of: ineffective counsel; jury selection bias; and a weak police investigation. Over the last few weeks, organizations far and wide have made calls for Williams’ clemency. In an open letter to Parson, NAACP President Derrick Johnson and NAACP Missouri Conference President Nimrod Chapel, Jr. called the execution of Williams a “miscarriage of justice” that reflects Missouri’s racist history. The Innocence Project has also taken up the mantle of telling Williams’ story and providing guidance on how to advocate for a stay of execution and clemency. A third-year law student at UDC David A. Clarke School of Law who requested anonymity said he joined Watts’ efforts out of respect for what his fellow law student has been able to accomplish with the help of social media. This law student said they counted among the first five people, including Watts, who developed a plan of action to encourage local law students to advocate for Williams’ clemency. As they recounted, they further embraced their calling as a public defender throughout the duration of the campaign. “When we look at the standard of justice, it’s important that we look at how overlooked Black men from low-income communities are,” the law student said. “A lot of men in D.C. get caught up in the justice system. This was the first real organizing effort I have been on. Brandon knew how to connect people. I want to collaborate with people like that as a lawyer.” Brandon Robert Watts, a student in his third year at Howard University School of Law (HUSL), said he galvanized this local effort upon learning about Wiliams’ situation earlier this month. Watts, an aspiring criminal defense attorney, said he saw his incarcerated father and other imprisoned Black men in Williams, a death row inmate who continues to maintain his innocence in the 1998 stabbing death of Felicia Gayle, a white social worker and former journalist from the St. Louis metropolitan area. “This is [about the] broader issue of criminal justice and how Black men are treated in the criminal justice system,” Watts said. “When it comes to the death penalty, it’s mostly young, impoverished people who can’t afford legal representation who could look deeply into their case.” As Watts recounted, he and more than 50 law school colleagues from HUSL, Georgetown Law School, and University of District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law coordinated their efforts during meetings and group chats over the last couple of weeks. Their strategies, he said, include phone banking, hosting events, writing op-eds, and sending the template of a letter that anyone could sign and submit to Parson’s office. However, for Watts, the matter doesn’t just stop at Williams, but includes the broader issue of the death penalty. “The Biden-Harris administration said it would move to abolish the federal death penalty and the fact that they hadn’t is concerning,” Watts said. “Marcellus WIlliams is … just one of the hundreds of Black men who’ve been on death row. At its foundation, death row is a form of terror among Black people. In the south, lynching was a form of entertainment that found itself to our criminal justice system. The death penalty needs to be done away with at state and federal level.” On Monday afternoon, a day before Williams’ scheduled execution by lethal injection, the Change.org petition had nearly 585,000 signatures. By that time, the Missouri Supreme Court was in the midst of last-minute arguments about the death penalty case. The Supreme Court would later decide to uphold Williams’ execution. Williams’ execution is Missouri’s third this year and the 15th in the United States. Gayle’s family has been at the forefront of efforts to halt Williams’ execution, opting instead for life without the possibility of parole. Law enforcement implicated Williams, now 55, with Gayle’s murder because of testimony from three people, including an inmate with whom he shared a cell while incarcerated on a different charge, and Williams’ girlfriend who said she saw Gayle’s purse and computer in Williams’ possession. Clemency proponents argue that both witness statements lack credibility, due to enticements of reward money and, in the case of Williams’ cellmate, a shorter sentence. Williams’ case has been making its way through the courts, at least since 2015 when DNA analysis suggested that another person could’ve been the culprit. In 2017, the state delayed Williams’ execution once again when then-Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens issued a last-minute stay of execution. For the next six years, a panel of retired judges examined the new DNA and other aspects of the case, until Parson, in 2023, dissolved the panel and then-Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey asked the state’s supreme court to set an execution date. Despite his claims of innocence, Williams entered a no contest plea last month during an evidentiary hearing that revealed the likely contamination of DNA evidence by law enforcement. The Missouri Supreme Court, at the urging of Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, rejected the plea deal, which carries a life sentence without the possibility of parole and Williams’ admission of guilt. St. Louis County Circuit Court Judge Bruce Hilton also rejected Williams’ appeal. He did so, despite a motion that St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley filed earlier this year to vacate Williams’ conviction on the basis of: ineffective counsel; jury selection bias; and a weak police investigation. Over the past few weeks, organizations far and wide have made calls for Williams’ clemency. In an open letter to Parson, NAACP President Derrick Johnson and NAACP Missouri Conference President Nimrod Chapel Jr. called the execution of Williams a “miscarriage of justice” that reflects Missouri’s racist history. The Innocence Project has also taken up the mantle of telling Williams’ story and providing guidance on how to advocate for a stay of execution and clemency. A third-year law student at UDC David A. Clarke School of Law who requested anonymity said he joined Watts’ efforts out of respect for what his fellow law student has been able to accomplish with the help of social media. This law student said they counted among the first five people, including Watts, who developed a plan of action to encourage local law students to advocate for Williams’ clemency. As they recounted, they further embraced their calling as a public defender throughout the duration of the campaign. “When we look at the standard of justice, it’s important that we look at how overlooked Black men from low-income communities are,” the law student said. “A lot of men in D.C. get caught up in the justice system. This was the first real organizing effort I have been on. Brandon knew how to connect people. I want to collaborate with people like that as a lawyer.” </div></body>

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D.C.-Area Law Students Organize for Death-Row Inmate Marcellus ‘Khalifah’ Williams


Dozens of law students in the D.C. metropolitan area have organized for the clemency of Marcellus \"Khalifah\" Williams, a death row inmate who maintained his innocence in the 1998 stabbing death of Felicia Gayle, by circulating a Change.org petition and sending letters to state-level officials.
The post D.C.-Area Law Students Organize for Death-Row Inmate Marcellus ‘Khalifah’ Williams appeared first on The Washington Informer.


Dozens of law students in the D.C. metropolitan area have organized for the clemency of Marcellus "Khalifah" Williams, a death row inmate who maintained his innocence in the 1998 stabbing death of Felicia Gayle, by circulating a Change.org petition and sending letters to state-level officials.
The post D.C.-Area Law Students Organize for Death-Row Inmate Marcellus ‘Khalifah’ Williams appeared first on The Washington Informer.