Marcellus Williams' lawyer focused on what he said was a prosecutor's admission that he illegally struck at least one juror because of his race in the original trial.

County prosecutors and defense lawyers both claim that mishandled evidence and racial bias tainted the murder case. Marcellus Williams is slated for execution Sept. 24 at 6 p.m. CT.

Williams is set to be executed Tuesday for the 1998 killing of Felicia Gayle, a crime that he has always denied any role in. His attorneys have launched multiple legal battles in an attempt to save his life.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced that the state will carry out the execution of Marcellus Williams on Sept. 24. Williams was convicted of murdering Felicia Gayle in 1998, stabbing her 43 times during a burglary.

Marcellus Williams' lawyers urge the Missouri Supreme Court to stay the execution scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 24, amid new DNA evidence suggesting innocence.

An attorney for Marcellus Williams argued Monday before the Missouri Supreme Court that a potential juror was excluded from Williams' trial based on race and that his Tuesday execution should be halted.

Marcellus Williams was facing what may be his last 48 hours of existence, a crucial period with court cases to spare his life currently underway at both the Missouri and U.S. Supreme Courts.

OBSERVER Staff Writer - Missouri is set to execute Marcellus Williams on Sept. 24 for a crime he did not commit, despite the lack of DNA evidence and the admissions of constitutional errors by the prosecutor.

Williams was still set to die by lethal injection next week for the 1998 murder of former Post-Dispatch reporter Felicia “Lisha” Gayle in 1998.