Crime
Missouri death row inmate agrees to new guilty plea in plea deal that calls for life in prison without possibility of parole

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri death row inmate withdrew his claim of innocence Wednesday and filed a new plea of not guilty as part of a plea agreement in search of a change to his sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
However, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office opposes the new sentence and intends to appeal in order to allow Marcellus Williams’s execution scheduled for September 24 to go ahead.
The complicated turn of events got here on the day that St. Louis County District Judge Bruce Hinton was to oversee a hearing requested by prosecutor Wesley Bell to overturn Williams’ first-degree murder conviction in the 1998 slaying of Lisha Gayle. Bell cited DNA testing, unavailable on the time of the crime, that found one other person’s DNA — not Williams’ — on the murder weapon.
After a protracted delay with lawyers meeting behind closed doors, Matthew Jacober, a special prosecutor with the St. Louis County District Attorney’s Office, announced that even newer DNA tests released Monday showed contamination from the handling of the gun by a former deputy prosecutor and investigator. The contaminated evidence made it inconceivable to prove that the killer was another person.
“The murder weapon was used without proper procedures,” Jacober said. The misuse occurred several years before Bell took office.
Williams agreed to an Alford plea, which isn’t an admission of guilt but acknowledges there’s enough evidence to convict him. Under an agreement with St. Louis County prosecutors, Williams entered the plea Wednesday. He shall be sentenced Thursday — the agreement calls for life in prison without the possibility of parole. Williams also agreed not to appeal.
“Marcellus Williams is an innocent man, and nothing in today’s plea agreement changes that fact,” Williams’ attorney, Tricia Bushnell, said in an announcement. She noted that Gayle’s family supports overturning the death penalty and that the guilty plea “brings some finality to the family.”
But an appeal isn’t any guarantee Williams won’t be executed. Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey is appealing to the Missouri Supreme Court as he seeks to proceed with the execution, arguing that the district court lacks the authority to overturn the state Supreme Court’s decision to set an execution date.
“Throughout the legal games, the defense created a false narrative of innocence to protect a convicted murderer from the death penalty and advance their political goals,” Bailey said in an announcement. “Because of the defense’s failure to exercise due diligence in reviewing evidence that supposedly supported their case, the victims have been forced to relive their terrible loss for the past six years.”
Williams, 55, was hours away from execution in August 2017 when then-Gov. Eric Greitens, a Republican, granted a stay after DNA tests, unavailable on the time of the killing, showed that DNA on the knife matched another person, not Williams.
This evidence prompted Bell to reconsider the case.
“This previously unheard evidence, coupled with the relative paucity of other credible evidence to support guilt, and the additional considerations of ineffective counsel and racial discrimination in jury selection, cast an inexorable doubt upon Mr. Williams’ conviction and sentence,” Bell’s motion stated.
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Williams, who’s black, was convicted and sentenced to death by a jury of 11 white people and one black person.
A 2021 Missouri law allows prosecutors to file a motion to overturn a conviction they imagine was unfair. The law led to the exoneration of three men who spent many years in prison, including Christopher Dunn last month.
The Missouri Supreme Court set an execution date of June 4, hours after ruling that Gov. Mike Parsons, a Republican, had the correct to disband a commission of inquiry convened by Greitens after he halted his execution in 2017.
The inquiry, made up of five retired judges, never issued a ruling or reached a conclusion on whether the new DNA evidence exonerated Williams. Parson disbanded the commission in June 2023, saying it was time to “move on.”
In addition to Dunn, who spent 34 years behind bars for the death of a 15-year-old St. Louis boy, a Missouri law allowing prosecutors to challenge convictions led to the discharge of two other men — Kevin Strickland and Lamar Johnson. Bailey was not attorney general when Strickland’s case went to trial, but his office opposed overturning the convictions of Dunn and Johnson.
Bailey also opposed efforts to overturn the conviction of Sandra Hemme, who spent 43 years in prison for murder, although that case was selected appeal fairly than by a prosecutor. A judge ruled in June that Hemme needs to be freed. Bailey has filed multiple appeals to try to keep her behind bars, but Hemme was released in July.
Strickland was freed in 2021 after serving greater than 40 years for three slayings in Kansas City after a judge ruled he was wrongly convicted in 1979. In 2023, a St. Louis judge overturned Johnson’s conviction. He had served nearly 28 years for a killing he all the time maintained he didn’t commit.
Williams was the primary death row inmate to have his claim of innocence heard by a judge for the reason that 2021 law was passed. Several other individuals who have been exonerated showed up in the courtroom to support him, including one other former death row inmate, Joseph Amrine, who spent 17 years on death row before being freed in 2003 after the Missouri Supreme Court ruled there was no credible evidence linking him to the killing of one other inmate.
Prosecutors in Williams’ trial said he broke into Gayle’s suburban St. Louis home on Aug. 11, 1998, heard water running in the shower and located a big butcher knife. When Gayle went downstairs, she was stabbed 43 times. Her purse and her husband’s laptop were stolen. Gayle, who was white, was a social employee who had previously worked as a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Authorities say Williams stole the jacket to hide blood on his shirt. Williams’ girlfriend asked him why he was wearing the jacket on a hot day. The girlfriend said she later saw the laptop in the automotive 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 imprisoned on unrelated charges. Cole told prosecutors that Williams had confessed to the killing and provided details about it.
Williams’ attorneys responded that each the girl and Cole are convicted felons with a $10,000 reward for their killing.
Crime
Kid Miraci speaks after testimony in court against Diddy: “I’m glad it is behind me”

Kid Miraci broke the silence after testimony against Sean “Diddy” Combs in court.
41-year-old rapper, born Scott Mescudi, began to Instagram Stories after he appeared in court on Thursday, May 23, to testify about how he claims that the 55-year-old disgraced rap tycoon tried to intimidate him when he became romantically related to the R&B singer and the best profile of the method witness in the trial, Casandra, Casandra, Casandra “Cassie”.
“Hey, so I just want to say: man, I saw all love and support, and I just want to thank so much, old,” said the rapper “Day ‘n’ nite”, adding that folks hit him all week to examine before his testimony, and even on the day.
“It’s really a lot to me, old. You’re the best, I love you all,” he said.
The rapper noticed that the situation was “stressful” and said: “I am glad that it was behind me.”

On Thursday in court, the actor testified that in jealous rage 14 years ago Diddy, who was accused of racketeers, transport of prostitution and sexual trade, broke into his home, closed the dog and (allegedly) he finally put his Porsche. In particular, he also described the music director as “Supervillain Marvel” during one tight meeting. A couple of years ago, Miraci said that Diddy apologized for the test once they each got here across one another in Soho House.
“After an apology I found a room with it,” he said.
Między Między on 9 of the trial took place 4 emotional Ventura Days testifying in the position of her relationship for about ten years with Didda, in which she claims that abuse, sexual battery and forcing to participate in sex events with drugs called “freak-offs”. He also claims that his employees worked intensively to cover a lot of his events and abuse towards her.
Until now, other witnesses were an assistant who testified that he would clean the hotel rooms after Diddy to guard his image, and a sexual worker who claims that he witnessed how Diddy abused Cassie.
Hen-profile Federal Diddy’s sexual process officially began on Monday, May 12 and is to last for at the least six weeks. If he is convicted, he is in the face of life in prison.

(Tagstranslate) crime
Crime
Georgia Woman packed for embracing $ 500,000 from local business, the police are looking for a second suspect


The police in Dunwooda are looking for Nicole Allen, who’s accused of helping a former worker in a definition of just about $ 500,000 from local activities in Georgia inside two years.
According to the report of April 29 with A rough project of AtlantaFelicia Kelley was arrested and accused of “computer forgery” and “theft by fraud” after allegedly manipulating wages of pay and suppliers when he’s employed by nameless activities. Arrest The order was also issued for AllenWhoever the investigators claim was a co -person
The police claim that the embezzlement took place in Georgia between May 2022 and August 2024. The program went to light in December 2024, when the company’s management noticed irregularities in the financial documentation and started internal control. The audit revealed around USD 500,000 in unauthorized transactions.
Kelley, who was responsible for managing pay and paying company suppliers, allegedly modified spreadsheets were created This seemed justified when redirecting company funds for personal use. According to police, Allen helped Kelley in hiding the discrepancy.
An organization that was not publicly listed by the authorities reported Dunwood’s police findings, which prompted the criminal investigation. Detectives claim that they identified each women as key suspects through a review of monetary documents, e -small and internal systems.
From May 22, Kelley was arrested and Allen stays at large. Law enforcement authorities call everyone who has details about the place of stay of Allen to contact the Dunwoody Police Department.
None of the suspects issued a public statement and no procedural dates were announced. It can be unclear whether additional fees or further arrests are expected in the case.
This stays an energetic investigation.
Anyone who has details about the place of stay Nicole Allen is inspired to contact Detective Robert Ehlbeck On 678-382-6925 Or Robert.ehlbeck@dunwodyga.gov.
(Tagstranslat) fraud
Crime
RAPER ROD WAVE stands in front of a dozen or so loads, some of the weapons in Georgia

The rapper referred to as Rod Wave will face a dozen or so charges, some engage the gun after he entered the officials of the sheriff in Georgia on Tuesday.
Wave, whose real name is Rodarius Green, voluntarily surrendered to the Fulton Sheriff Office regarding orders arising from the Police call of April 21 in the suburbs of Milton in Atlanta, the police said.
“There is no truth in these allegations,” said the lawyers of rapper Findling and Marissa Goldberg in a statement for the Associated Press.
“Rod Green was a victim of burglary and did not commit any crimes,” they said. “How he was even accused as a result of this situation is incomprehensible. It will be absolutely resolved for Mr. Green.”
Police Milton responded to a house in the city north of Atlanta after the report from 911 described “possible home interference,” the police said in a statement.

The police said that the officers determined that the connection was related to previously unpaid burglary and release of firearms. Later they obtained arrest warrant for Green, who was a resident of the house.
The allegations include an exacerbated assault, a conspiracy aimed toward committing a crime, criminal property damage and referring or aiming at someone weapons and hindering legal officers, show the files of the Fulton Fulton prison. He can be accused of manipulating evidence – a crime – and obstructing legal officers.
He was released from Bond shortly after he turned the same day on Tuesday, the authorities reported.
The 26-year-old rapper in Florida is well known for his soul trap, a unique combination of R&B and Rap, which brought him 11 Singles Certified Platinum by the American Industry Association. Four of his six albums hit No. 1 on the best list of albums Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop, including his latest, “Last Lap” from 2024.
This yr he brought the title song Sing Title “Sinners” to the Ryan Coogler record, recognized by critics Hit with the same name.
Green grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he had not less than one past with the law before The national battery charge has been rejected in 2022
The ex -girlfriend accused Green of entering the house in the Orlando area and choke her, while their two children were in a different room, in response to the arrest warrant. They each arranged for about 4 years, and the girl told investigators that Green accused her of seeing other men during their breakdown.
Later, prosecutors told court officials that the case is just not suitable for prosecution.

(Tagstranslate) georgia
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