ST. LOUIS – Attorneys for Marcellus Williams, a man on death row in the 1998 death of Lisha Gayle, have agreed to an Alford plea. He is expected to be resentenced to life without parole.

Williams will plead no contest, which retains a conviction in Gayle’s death.

These proceedings follow an evidentiary hearing Wednesday after Williams spent many years on death row, proclaiming his innocence in this case.

Prosecutors say that DNA evidence intended to exonerate Williams was handled improperly.

Williams was set to be executed for the murder on Sept. 24, 2024, but he is expected to be resentenced to life without parole. A formal sentencing hearing is scheduled for Thursday morning.

Williams, 55, was initially convicted of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of Gayle during a robbery of her suburban St. Louis home.

He was hours away from execution in August 2017 when he was given a reprieve. Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens halted the process, citing that testing unavailable at the time of the killing showed that DNA on the knife matched someone else, not Williams.

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell filed a motion in January to vacate Williams’ murder conviction. Bell cited new DNA evidence when filing the motion and said he believed Williams was not involved in Gayle’s death.

A Missouri law that took effect in 2021 allowed prosecuting attorneys, like Bell, to file a motion to vacate a conviction if they believe an inmate could be innocent or was otherwise erroneously convicted.

Before his murder conviction, investigators claimed that Williams broke a windowpane to get inside Gayle’s home on Aug. 11, 1998, heard water running in the shower, and found a large butcher knife. When Gayle came downstairs, she was stabbed 43 times. Her purse and her husband’s laptop were stolen. Gayle was a social worker who previously worked as a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.