Jefferson City, Mo., Aug 24, 2017 / 05:04 am
A governor's decision to stay the imminent execution of a death row inmate following claims of new evidence has drawn praise from the Missouri Catholic Conference.
"Mr. Williams' case exposes the inherent problems with capital murder trials," said Rita Lindhardt, a senior staff associate at the conference who chairs the board of Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty.
"We appreciate the governor's willingness to allow further deliberation on the DNA evidence, and are grateful that he stayed the execution," Lindhardt said in an Aug. 22 statement from the Catholic conference.
Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (R) stayed the execution on Tuesday, citing new DNA evidence.