Judge rejects attempt to free Marcellus Williams, Missouri inmate facing execution
CBSN
A judge on Thursday declined to vacate the conviction and sentence of Marcellus Williams, a condemned inmate in Missouri whose execution is scheduled for later this month. Williams' case has drawn national attention as he faces the death penalty over the stabbing death of a woman in 1998, despite doubts about DNA evidence on the knife used in the attack and longstanding questions about whether his original trial was fair.
"Every claim of error Williams has asserted on direct appeal, post-conviction review, and habeas review has been rejected by Missouri's courts," wrote St. Louis County Circuit Judge Bruce Hilton. "There is no basis for a court to find that Williams is innocent, and no court has made such a finding. Williams is guilty of first-degree murder, and has been sentenced to death."
Attorneys for Williams, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office and the Missouri Attorney General's Office did not respond to messages left Thursday seeking comment. Williams' lawyers are expected to request clemency from Republican Gov. Mike Parson and could appeal further.
Officials at Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been scrambling to carry out a weekend directive from President Trump to have immigration agents provide security at airports amid the partial government shutdown, multiple sources familiar with the internal deliberations told CBS News. In:
Fentanyl was found inside Barbie doll packages being sold at a discount store in Missouri, police said on Saturday. In:
New Jersey Senator Cory Booker hasn't been the mayor of Newark since 2013. But when he walks around his neighborhood, you'd never know it. One passer-by yelled out, "The best mayor ever!" In:
Fentanyl was found inside Barbie doll packages being sold at a discount store in Missouri, police said on Saturday. In:
CBS News contributor Arthur C. Brooks is the author of a new book, "The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness." This morning, he's charting an unlikely path to happiness:
When gauging a war, Americans consider at least two important things: what the goals are overseas and its impact back home. In:
The peace and tranquility of Muir Woods, just north of San Francisco – home to 500+ acres of old-growth redwoods – make it just about the last place you'd expect to find a fight brewing. "The fact that they're taking down whole groups of signs about climate change and our nation's history is disappointing, and embarrassing," said retired U.S. Park Ranger Lucy Scott In:
We share our planet with maybe 10 million species of plants, animals, birds, fish, fungi and bugs. And to help identify them, millions of people are using a free phone app. "Currently we have about six million people using the platform every month," said Scott Loarie, the executive director of iNaturalist, a nonprofit.
Washington — As voters gear up for the midterm elections in November that will decide control of the House and Senate, the Supreme Court is set to weigh Monday whether states can count mail ballots that are postmarked by, but arrive after, Election Day.
It was in June 2020 when Linda Dane learned the disturbing circumstances of how her long-lost brother Gary Herbst's skull had been found by a dog in rural Barron County, Wisconsin. In:
A possible meteorite crashed into a Houston area house on Saturday night, tearing through the roof and two stories of the home, officials said. In:
The Senate on Saturday blocked an amendment that would ban transgender athletes from playing in women's sports, rejecting one of President Trump's priorities as he pressures Congress to act on a broad voting bill.
Robert Mueller, a former FBI director who led the investigation into allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 election, has died, multiple sources told CBS News on Saturday. He was 81. In: