DNA Evidence Saves Man From Execution With Hours to Spare

With only hours to spare, the execution of a convicted murderer was stayed by the governor of Missouri, CNN reports. 

According to the Washington Post, 48-year-old Marcellus Williams was convicted in 2001 of the 1998 murder of Felicia Gayle, who was stabbed 43 times in her home. But attorneys for Williams say new evidence—namely DNA found on the murder weapon—provides “conclusive scientific evidence that another man committed this crime.” 

On Tuesday, Gov. Eric Greitens issued a stay of execution and formed a five-person Board of Inquiry to look into the matter. "A sentence of death is the ultimate, permanent punishment," Greitens says. "To carry out the death penalty, the people of Missouri must have confidence in the judgment of guilt."

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