In a dramatic turn of events, the Missouri Supreme Court has blocked an agreement that would have led to the resentencing of death row inmate Marcellus Williams. The decision comes after new DNA evidence complicated Williams' claim of innocence in the murder of Felicia Gayle in 1998.

The St. Louis County Circuit Court judge has now set the agreement aside and scheduled an evidentiary hearing for August 28, as per court records. There is a possibility that the lower court may seek an administrative stay on Williams' scheduled September 24 execution date while the proceedings unfold.

The case has created a political battleground between Wesley Bell, a local prosecutor running for Congress as a Democrat, and State Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican seeking re-election. Williams, aged 55, has maintained his innocence throughout the years and has been supported by organizations like the Innocence Project and the Midwest Innocence Project.

The St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney's Office, led by Bell, filed a motion in January to vacate Williams' conviction, citing the need to review DNA evidence that had never been presented in court. Prosecutors were expected to present this DNA evidence on Wednesday, claiming it would exclude Williams as the perpetrator.

However, the results of the new DNA testing showed that the evidence had been mishandled, complicating Williams' innocence claim. The findings indicated that the knife used in the murder had been handled by various individuals, including law enforcement, questioning the possibility of linking the DNA to the true killer.

On Wednesday, after a delay in the scheduled hearing, Bell's office announced a consent judgment. The agreement dictated that Williams would receive a life sentence after entering an Alford plea of guilty to first-degree murder. An Alford plea allows the defendant to maintain their innocence while acknowledging that going to trial would not be in their best interest given the evidence against them.

The consent judgment was reached after a conference involving a representative of the victim's family, who expressed their desire for the death penalty not to be carried out and for the case to reach finality. The Missouri Attorney General's Office opposed the agreement, arguing that new DNA test results did not exonerate Williams.

The sudden consent judgment followed by the Missouri Supreme Court's decision to block it has generated a range of reactions. Attorney General Bailey praised the court's intervention, emphasizing the importance of upholding the rule of law. Marcellus Williams' attorney, Tricia Rojo Bushnell, questioned the justice served by this decision and reaffirmed Williams' innocence.

The upcoming evidentiary hearing will provide an opportunity to present the evidence that supports the circuit court's decision to vacate Williams' conviction. The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office has expressed concerns about the integrity of the conviction and the irreversible punishment of death.

The case of Marcellus Williams has garnered attention due to the complexities surrounding the DNA evidence and the question of his guilt. As the legal battle continues, the fate of Williams, who maintains his innocence, hangs in the balance, while the search for justice and truth also unfolds.