Missouri man makes life-or-death effort to prove innocence before execution scheduled for next month

Marcellus Williams , 55 , was convicted of first -degree murder in the 1998 stabbing death of Lisha Gayle .

Williams is scheduled to be executed Sept. 24 , and neither Missouri Gov. Mike Parson nor Attorney General Andrew Bailey has shown any inclination to delay the process.

A 2021 law allows prosecuting attorneys to file a motion seeking to vacate a conviction they believe was unjust.

The law has resulted in exonerations of three men who spent decades in prison, including Christopher Dunn last month .

Authorities said Williams stole a jacket to conceal blood on his shirt. Williams ’ girlfriend asked him why he would wear a jacket on a hot day . The girlfriend said she later saw the laptop in the car and that Williams sold it a day or two later . Prosecutors also cited testimony from Henry Cole , who shared a St. Louis cell with Williams in 1999 while Williams was jailed on unrelated charges. Cole told prosecutors Williams confessed to the killing and offered details about it. Williams ’ attorneys responded that the girlfriend and Cole were both convicted felons out for a $ 10,000 reward..