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    • Nation’s reaction to the death sentence
    Colorado

    Nation’s reaction to the death sentence

    Madoc Meredith Posted on

    Marcellus Williams was executed in Missouri on Tuesday. He was found guilty of the 1998 murder of Lisha Gayle. The former police reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was killed during a break-in at the suburban St. Louis home she shared with her husband, a doctor.

    Williams, 55, who maintained his innocence during two previous stays of execution, was the third inmate executed in Missouri this year and the 15th in the country.

    There was no DNA analysis linking Williams to the murder weapon. In recent months, St. Louis County District Attorney Wesley Bell filed a motion to overturn the death sentence, submitting a new DNA lab report that showed the murder weapon had been improperly handled during Williams’ trial. The motion was denied, and Republican Gov. Mike Parson and the Missouri Supreme Court denied Williams a pardon.

    Williams’ execution Tuesday night sparked reactions in Missouri and across the country. Here’s what you need to know.

    Execution triggers widespread condemnation

    Reactions on the Internet were predominantly negative to the death sentence against Williams.

    “Tonight we are all witnessing the grotesque abuse of power by the state of Missouri,” Williams’ attorney Tricia Rojo Bushnell said in a statement before the execution, stressing how hard prosecutors had fought to overturn the conviction and save Mr. Williams’ life.

    Missouri Congresswoman Cori Bush said, “The state of Missouri and our nation’s justice system failed Marcellus Williams, and as long as we maintain the death penalty, we will perpetuate that depravity.”

    Derrick Johnson of the NAACP compared the execution to a lynching.

    “What message does this send to the people of Missouri and across the country?” Johnson said on X. “#MarcellusWilliams deserves to live.”

    Richard Branson, billionaire and co-founder of the Virgin Group, condemned the execution in a thread on X.

    Conservative radio host Dana Loesch used the news of Williams’ execution to draw attention to the death of St. Louis police officer David Lee, who was killed on Sunday in a collision with a suspected drunk driver.

    This story will continue to be updated.

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    Madoc Meredith
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