The execution was twice stayed, once by the United States Supreme Court and once by the Louisiana governor. During the last appeal, the defense asked for DNA analysis of forensic evidence, as this was more accurate than previous tests. The state's lab said that DNA from blood on the curtain matched Williams'. The state refused to allow the defense to have their own tests conducted. But a defense team of forensic DNA analysts criticized the state's set of tests for the following reasons: sloppy technique, poor quality controls, and subjective interpretation. In one test, one in four controls failed, but the lab used the faulty results for its conclusions anyway.