WILLIAMS, MARCELLUS

DOB:
Race: African-Amercian
Gender: Male

CRIME AND TRIAL

County of conviction: St. Louis County
Number of counts: One
Race of victim:
Gender of victim: Female
Date of crime: August 11, 1998
Date of sentencing: August 8, 2001

TRIAL COUNSEL: Joe Green

LEGAL STATUS:

Current proceedings:

• Federal habeas pending in front of U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Case No. 4:05-CV-01474 (Sippel, J.).

Last judicial decision:

• Affirmance of circuit court's denial of post-conviction by the Missouri Supreme Court, Case No. SC86095 (June 21, 2005).

CURRENT COUNSEL:

Kent E. Gipson
kgipson@pilc.net

and

Lori Leon
lleon@pilc.net
Public Interest Litigation Clinic
305 East 63rd Street
Kansas City, MO  64113
(816) 363-2795

REPORTED OPINIONS:

• Sentence and conviction affirmed on direct appeal by State v. Williams, 97 S.W.3d 462 (Mo. banc), cert. denied, 123 S.Ct. 2607 (2003).

SIGNIFICANT LEGAL ISSUES:

•  trial court's admission of evidence that Mr. Williams attempted to escape from the city jail while the murder charge was pending and assaulted a guard during the attempt
   
• prosecutor's misleading description of the jury's decisionmaking process in a capital case during his opening statement
   
• Apprendi/Ring claim based on the fact that the trial court, rather than the jury, determined that certain of Mr. Williams' previous convictions were "serious assaulting convictions" for purposes of Missouri's statutory aggravating circumstances.

Return to casetracker list