“Tonight, Missouri lynched another innocent Black man,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement.

    • @RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      245 minutes ago

      It doesn’t rehabilitate, either. Cheaper and more profitable to warehouse people than to offer psychiatric and educational care. Yes, before some pedants tell me that prisons do offer some of these things, I know they do. But they are not the default, and they are not always easily accessed.

  • @Zexks@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    477 hours ago

    They need to stop saying “Missouri” and start calling them out by name. The governor and judge lynched this man.

    • Tiefling IRL
      link
      fedilink
      54 hours ago

      Any human who would willingly deliver the fatal cocktail needs to be locked away far from humanity.

      From what I hear, some people salivate over the opportunity

      • @ShepherdPie@midwest.social
        link
        fedilink
        144 hours ago

        He did do something, which was to disband the committee investigating whether this man was wrongfully convicted or not and then later he denied a stay of execution.

        • themeatbridgeOP
          link
          fedilink
          32 hours ago

          Yep, the governor went above and beyond to ensure an innocent man was lynched by the state.

    • TheTechnician27
      link
      fedilink
      English
      338 hours ago

      This is also the case for all other executions – it’s just state-sanctioned murder – but this case is so clearly awful and a racist lynching that hopefully it starts waking up the people who defend the death penalty.

    • themeatbridgeOP
      link
      fedilink
      6
      edit-2
      2 hours ago

      TLDR there was a ton of evidence at the scene, including footprints, blood, and DNA on the murder weapon.

      None of the physical evidence matched Williams, not the footprints, not the blood, not the DNA on the murder weapon, but because it had not been handled properly, the exonerating evidence was ruled inadmissible.

      Witnesses also recanted their testimony that Williams had confessed to them, and the prosecution admitted to striking jurors because they were black. There was zero physical evidence linking Williams to the scene, and zero credible witnesses claiming to have even second-hand knowledge of the crime.

      The victim’s family and the prosecution had both called for a stay of execution.

  • @Spacehooks@reddthat.com
    link
    fedilink
    English
    539 hours ago

    Williams’ attorneys responded that the girlfriend and Cole were both convicted of felonies and wanted a $10,000 reward. They said that fingerprints, a bloody shoeprint, hair and other evidence at the crime scene didn’t match Williams’.

    A crime scene investigator had testified the killer wore gloves.

    Questions about DNA evidence also led St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell to request a hearing challenging Williams’ guilt. But days before the Aug. 21 hearing, new testing showed that DNA on the knife belonged to members of the prosecutor’s office who handled it without gloves after the original crime lab tests.

    I thought I read somewhere else his gf rescinded her testimony too. Wouldn’t be surprised if the prosecutor did the murder.

      • @ShepherdPie@midwest.social
        link
        fedilink
        44 hours ago

        Which is astounding and shows how badly this trial was handled since most prosecutors will still claim someone is guilty even after irrefutable evidence shows they were wrongfully convicted and a judge orders them to be set free.

  • Flying Squid
    link
    fedilink
    369 hours ago

    Look, if you don’t test the equipment on innocent people every now and then, how are you going to know if it works on the guilty people? Am I right?

  • @some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
    link
    fedilink
    139 hours ago

    Leave it to the south (Missouri is south-adjacent) to inflict the greatest cruelty. Doesn’t matter if you did it. You need to die.

      • @alcoholicorn@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        198 hours ago

        Yes, I’m criticizing the AP for not mentioning the man’s innocence or lack of evidence and non-recanted witness statements.

        • themeatbridgeOP
          link
          fedilink
          77 hours ago

          Agreed, the headline makes it sound like the family was being merciful despite his conviction. Nope, Missouri just lynched a man.

  • @_number8_@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    -76 hours ago

    before anyone says ACHSKULLY The prESidEnT doEsn’t HAve Any auThOritY to StoP tHIS, yes they do. they’re a politician. negotiate. presidents break the law all the time.

    • themeatbridgeOP
      link
      fedilink
      12 hours ago

      I’m angry about this too, but what exactly are you thinking Biden could havw done? Invade Missouri? Place the governor and state Supreme court under arrest? I might enjoy that, but that’s not how America works.