Alabama Man on Death Row Again After Court Revisits Prior Ruling

An Alabama man’s death sentence was reinstated on Friday, after a divided federal appeals court said his lawyer’s failure to introduce mitigating evidence at his sentencing wasn’t prejudicial.

Marcus Williams was sentenced to death after confessing to the rape and murder of Melanie Rowell in 1996. He initially won his bid for habeas relief, and the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed. But the US Supreme Court vacated the ruling in 2024, remanding the case for reconsideration in light of the high court’s decision in Thornell v. Jones.

Thornell, as the majority of the Eleventh ...