John,

Yesterday evening, Missouri Gov. Parson denied Marcellus Williams' appeal for clemency, who is scheduled to be executed today, Sept. 24, at 6 p.m. CST. Additionally, the Missouri Supreme Court rejected a request to cancel Marcellus’ execution to allow the lower court to make a new determination about the trial prosecutor’s improper removal of Black prospective jurors on the basis of their race. Marcellus' legal team is still in active litigation with the U.S. Supreme Court.

The governor’s decision ignores the widespread support for clemency based on serious doubts about the integrity of Marcellus’ conviction and death sentence. More than 1,400,000 concerned citizens petitioned Gov. Parson to commute his death sentence. The papal nuncio expressed support for clemency, as did a group of nearly 70 Missouri faith leaders from the Muslim, Christian, and Jewish communities.

We still have a pending appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court, so once again Marcellus' fate is down-to-the-wire, after having been previously granted a stay of execution just four hours before his scheduled execution in 2017.

Please continue to check our website for the latest updates and share Marcellus’ case.

Thank you for your continued support,

— Innocence Project Team