How Missouri’s ‘Felony Murder’ Law Traps People for Defending Themselves
An investigation by The Appeal and the Yale Investigative Reporting Lab reveals how prosecutors use the state’s felony murder statute to imprison people who say they acted in self-defense. The majority of those convicted under the law since 2010 are Black. “I had to take the plea because they’re using this law to get people to stay locked up,” one man said.
Thomas Birmingham Jul 10, 2023
Missouri Attorney General’s Lack Of Courage In Lamar Johnson Case Is A Miscarriage of Justice
Eric Schmitt should follow the lead of a Pennsylvania prosecutor who acknowledged that a man deserved a new trial, even when it meant reversing a murder conviction.
Ben Miller Feb 25, 2020
Black Women Prosecutors Rally Behind St. Louis Circuit Attorney Over Racist Backlash
Top prosecutors in Baltimore, Chicago, and New York City are supporting Kim Gardner over the “entrenched interests” that they say seek to undermine reforms and police accountability.
Aaron Morrison Jan 17, 2020
Prosecutors Can Right Past Wrongs—If Only The System Lets Them
More prosecutors are trying to root out wrongful convictions and restore trust in the legal system. They’re meeting opposition on all sides.
Nina Morrison, Somil Trivedi Dec 10, 2019
Courts Are Intervening to Dismantle Unjust Cash Bail Systems Across the U.S.
A series of victories for advocates reflects a shift in the ‘popular narrative’ around bail.
Kira Lerner Sep 26, 2019
St. Louis County Jailed a Pregnant Woman For 39 Days Because She Refused a Paternity Test
Adrianna Thurman said she was informed by jail staff after her release that she had ‘slipped through the cracks.’
Katie Rose Quandt Apr 19, 2019
‘I am a Human and I Just Ask to Be Treated as One’
A lawsuit challenging cash bail in St. Louis could help close a notorious jail.
Kira Lerner Feb 19, 2019
‘You Never Want to go to the Workhouse’
Activists launch a new campaign to close an infamous St. Louis jail.
Sylvia A. Harvey Jun 18, 2018
The arrest and charging of Karla Frye marks a pivotal moment for protest in St. Louis County
Her case says a lot about prosecutorial discretion.
Carimah Townes Sep 28, 2017
St. Louis Police Team Up with Media to Smear Black Lives Matter Protesters
On September 15th, a Missouri judge found white former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley not guilty of the 2011 slaying of black motorist Anthony Lamar Smith. The second the verdict was announced and activists poured into the streets to protest, local police and government officials with the help of local and national media began framing the […]
Adam H. Johnson Sep 28, 2017
Like during the Civil Rights Movement, peaceful NFL protesters have exposed the mean-spirited bigotry of America
The American Civil Rights Movement had many aims, but one of the central goals of peaceful, non-violent marches and demonstrations was to expose those who opposed equality and freedom for what they truly were — hateful, mean-spirited bigots. The strategy of non-violence in the face of racist taunts, death threats, police dogs, water hoses, and even violent physical confrontations was rooted in ancient theologies and philosophies, but its practical, immediate goal was to help show the world that the fight for equality had sides — good and evil, right and wrong.
Shaun King Sep 28, 2017
St. Louis prosecutor’s support of death sentence angers minority community
The execution of Marcellus Williams has been indefinitely delayed, but anger at the actions of St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch are unlikely to dissipate anytime soon. McCulloch has repeatedly said that Williams should be executed, despite newly discovered evidence that he may not have been responsible for the 1998 murder of Felicia Gayle […]
Larry Hannan Sep 08, 2017
UPDATE: Marcellus Williams execution stayed in Missouri
UPDATED Aug. 22, 2017, 3:00 p.m. On Tuesday afternoon just hours before Marcellus Williams was scheduled to be executed in Missouri, Governor Eric Greitens issued a stay pending an investigation into new DNA evidence presented by Williams’ attorneys. Greitens announced that he would appoint a board of inquiry to review Williams’ case and issue a report. “A […]
Rebecca McCray Aug 22, 2017
St. Louis prosecutor silent as prisoners suffer in sweltering hot jail
Protesters railing against extreme heat in one of St. Louis’ abuse-plagued jails were pepper-sprayed by police clad in riot gear last Friday and Saturday, as they called on city officials to shut down the dangerous facility. They say inmates at the Medium Security Institution, nicknamed the “Workhouse,” are living in cells with no air conditioning despite […]
Carimah Townes Jul 26, 2017