Marcellus Williams, who was sentenced to death, was executed even though the prosecution believed him to be innocent.
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Marcellus Williams of Missouri, who was sentenced to death, was executed despite the prosecution’s confessions of innocence.
Williams, 55, was convicted in 1998 of the murder of Lisha Gayle, a former reporter for the ^ “St. Louis Post-Dispatch”.
His execution was scheduled for 6 p.m. CT. His last words were, “All praise be to Allah in every situation!!!” Williams’ imam, Jalahii Kacem, visited him from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. He was with Williams in the execution chamber when officials administered the lethal injection.
His last meal was served at 10:53 a.m. and consisted of chicken wings and hash browns. He was one of four men scheduled to be executed this week. Travis Mullis, a death row inmate in Texas, was also scheduled to be executed around the same time for killing his young son.
Williams’ lawyers filed two requests to stay his execution on Monday. Both were denied shortly before his execution.
Three justices – Ketanji Onyika Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan and Sonia Maria Sotomayor – rejected the second request, which focused on new DNA evidence and the prosecution’s claim that he may be innocent.
Williams’ lawyers had said DNA traces on the knife used in the attack led to an unknown male profile and did not match Williams. The court rejected the claim on Saturday.
“There is no basis for a court to find Williams innocent, and no court has made such a finding,” wrote St. Louis County Circuit Court Judge Bruce Hilton. “Williams is guilty of first-degree murder and was sentenced to death.”
Prosecutor’s officials recently filed a motion to overturn his conviction.
A trial judge granted their request, but Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey appealed the decision. The case was then sent back to the same trial judge, who reversed his original decision.
On Monday, Gov. Mike Parson denied him a pardon and the Missouri Supreme Court refused to grant him a stay of execution. Williams’ pardon request detailed how Gayle’s relatives wanted to commute his sentence to life without parole.
During his murder trial, Williams’ lawyers called him a “caring and loving father.” His family members and friends said his execution would have a “significant impact on his family.”
Before leaving office, Missouri Governor Eric Greiten issued a stay of execution for Williams. He appointed a commission to investigate the case and recommend a pardon. Governor Parson dissolved the commission and lifted the stay in 2023 after his election.
This is a developing story…
