The execution of a death row inmate whose murder conviction has been doubted by the prosecutors that convicted him has sparked a wave of outrage across the US.
Missouri Governor Mike Parson has been branded shameful and racist and the state and federal justice systems accused of being flawed after Marcellus Williams was put to death by lethal injection on Tuesday.
Williams, 55, was sentenced to death over the 1998 killing of Lisha Gayle, who was stabbed repeatedly during a burglary of her suburban St. Louis home.
The St. Louis County prosecutors office - which originally secured his conviction in 2001 - had filed a motion to vacate the conviction after expressing concerns about the lack of DNA evidence linking Williams to the Gayles killing of Gayle. They also argued that Williams, who has insisted he is innocent, did not receive a fair trial.
But Williams execution moved forward Tuesday after Parson and the state Supreme Court, acting on an appeal from Missouri Attorney Generals office, rejected his appeals in quick succession the day before. The US Supreme Court also rejected a last-ditch request to stay his execution.
Gayles family had also agreed to a deal that would see Williams sentenced to life in prison instead of being executed.
Marcellus Williams, 55, (pictured) was sentenced to death over the 1998 killing of Lisha Gayle, who was stabbed repeatedly during a burglary of her suburban St. Louis home
Missouri Governor Mike Parson (pictured in April 2023) was branded shameful and racist following Williams execution on Tuesday. Campaigners also accused the state and federal justice systems of being flawed
Civil rights campaigners and politicians alike have launched attacks at Parson and the Missouri Supreme Court over Williams death, with the NAACP even calling the injustice a modern-day lynching.
British billionaire Richard Branson, who bought a full-page advert in the Kansas City Star newspaper decrying a devastating miscarriage of justice, mourned Williamss execution on social media.
Marcellus Williams was killed today by the state of Missouri for a crime he didnt commit, Branson wrote on X. Its a shameful day for Missouri, and a shameful day for Governor Mike Parson, who failed in his duty to protect an innocent man from injustice.
He added that his thoughts were with Williams loved ones, as well as with Gayles family who did not want to see the death penalty imposed.
This horrible miscarriage of justice has once again exposed how fundamentally broken Americas system of capital punishment really is, he said.
I am opposed to the death penalty under any circumstances, but if a modern justice system cannot protect the innocent, if reasonable doubt no longer carries any weight, even the proponents of this inhumane punishment will have to agree that its high time to end it for good.
Congresswoman Cori Bush, whose district includes St. Louis County, slammed the justice system for having failed Williams.
Governor Mike Parson shamefully allowed an innocent man to be executed tonight. We must abolish this flawed, racist, inhumane practice once and for all, she tweeted. Rest in power, Marcellus Williams.
British billionaire Richard Branson , who bought a full-page advert in the Kansas City Star newspaper decrying a devastating miscarriage of justice, mourned Williamss execution on social media
Congresswoman Cori Bush , whose district includes St. Louis County, slammed the justice system for having failed Williams
The case even received the attention of Sister Helen Prejean, a Catholic nun who has become leading voice for the abolition of the death penalty. She said the execution of Marcellus Williams is a horrible injustice. This didnt have to happen
The NAACP slammed the state for having lynched another innocent Black man
NAACP President Derrick Johnson questioned what message Williams execution sends to the people of Missouri and to people across the nation?
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas criticized the state, saying it is a travesty to execute someone unless you are certain of their guilt
Elad Gross, who is running for Missouri Attorney General, also weighed in on Williams death, saying that Parsons heart was hardened tonight and it is up to the People of Missouri to defeat that hatred
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas criticized the state, saying: Ive had experience on both sides of death penalty cases. No matter where you stand on capital punishment, it is a travesty to execute someone unless you are certain of their guilt. Missouri is not. May God have mercy on us all.
The NAACP slammed the state for having lynched another innocent Black man.
Governor Parson had the responsibility to save this innocent life, and he didnt. The NAACP was founded in 1909 in response to the barbaric lynching of Black people in America — we were founded exactly because of people like Governor Parson who perpetuate violence against innocent Black people, the organization wrote.
We will hold Governor Parson accountable. When DNA evidence proves innocence, capital punishment is not justice — it is murder.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson added: Today, Missouri Governor Parson decided to take the life of Marcellus Williams — an innocent man who did not commit murder. What sort of message does this send to the people of Missouri and to people across the nation?
The case even received the attention of Sister Helen Prejean, a Catholic nun who has become leading voice for the abolition of the death penalty.
The execution of Marcellus Williams is a horrible injustice. This didnt have to happen. Just a couple weeks ago, prosecutors — with the support of the victims family — had reached a plea agreement with Marcellus that took death off the table. the Dead Man Walking author tweeted.
Williams was convicted in 2001 of murdering Felicia Lisha Gayle, a newspaper reporter who was found stabbed to death in her home in 1998
There are no winners with the death penalty. Marcelluss family members are now victims, too. Missouri is not a safer or better place because of this execution. The actions of state officials and the courts call the legitimacy of the entire legal process into question.
She continued: What does it say about our legal system when the US Supreme Court refuses to stop an execution even when the county prosecuting agency that handled the original trial files a brief in support of a stay and supports vacating the entire conviction?
Elad Gross, who is running for Missouri Attorney General, also weighed in on Williams death, saying: All day, I thought our Governor or Attorney General would do the right thing.
I spoke with Republicans and Democrats who agreed with the victims family and the prosecutor that Mr. Williams shouldnt be executed. But 6 PM came, and so did the execution.
In Exodus, Pharaoh let the Israelites go, but the Bible says God hardened his heart, and his hatred destroyed his people. Our Governors heart was hardened tonight. Its up to the People of Missouri to defeat that hatred.
Marcellus Williams, 55, was convicted for the 1998 killing of Felicia Gayle, a white newspaper reporter
Williams released a simple eight-word final statement before he was executed by lethal injection
Williams was pronounced dead at 6.10 pm local time Tuesday, according to the Missouri Department of Corrections.
As he lay awaiting execution, Williams appeared to converse with a spiritual advisor seated next to him.
He wiggled his feet underneath a white sheet that was pulled up to his neck and moved his head slightly while his spiritual advisor continued to talk. Then Williams chest heaved about a half dozen times, and he showed no further movement.
Williams son and two attorneys watched from another room. No one was present on behalf of the victims family.
The Department of Corrections released a brief statement that Williams had written ahead of time, saying: All Praise Be to Allah In Every Situation!!!
Republican Gov. Parson said he hoped the execution brings finality to a case that languished for decades, revictimizing Ms. Gayles family over and over again.
No juror nor judge has ever found Williams innocence claim to be credible, Parson said in a statement.
No jury nor court, including at the trial, appellate, and Supreme Court levels, have ever found merit in Mr. Williamss innocence claim. At the end of the day, his guilty verdict and sentence of capital punishment were upheld.
But Gayles relatives had wanted Williams sentence commuted to life without the possibility of parole.
The family defines closure as Marcellus being allowed to live, his clemency petition, which was heavily focused on the Gayle familys wishes, stated. Marcellus execution is not necessary.
Marcellus Williams Jr., son of Missouri death row inmate Marcellus Williams, was hoping for a miracle to spare his dads life. He is pictured with his father at Potosi Correctional Center
Williams was accused of killing Felicia Lisha Gayle, newspaper reporter who was found stabbed to death in her home in 1998
Gayle, 42, was a social worker and former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter. She was found dead at her St. Louis home in Missouri, stabbed 43 times by a kitchen knife during what appeared to be a burglary gone wrong.
Williams, who had previous convictions for burglary and robbery, was convicted on the testimony of a former jail cellmate and an ex-girlfriend, though his DNA was not found on the knife or at the crime scene.
Prosecutors at Williams trial said he broke into Gayles home on Aug. 11, 1998, heard the shower running and found a large butcher knife. Gayle was stabbed when she came downstairs. Her purse and her husbands laptop were stolen.
Authorities said Williams stole a jacket to conceal blood on his shirt. His girlfriend asked him why he would wear a jacket on a hot day. She said she later saw the purse and laptop in his car and that Williams sold the computer a day or two later.
Prosecutors also cited testimony from Henry Cole, who shared a cell with Williams in 1999 while Williams was jailed on unrelated charges. Cole told prosecutors that Williams confessed to the killing and provided details about it.
Williams attorneys responded that the girlfriend and Cole were both convicted of felonies and wanted a $10,000 reward. They said that fingerprints, a bloody shoeprint, hair and other evidence at the crime scene didnt match Williams.
A crime scene investigator had testified the killer wore gloves.
Questions about DNA evidence also led St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell to request a hearing challenging Williams guilt. But days before the Aug. 21 hearing, new testing showed that DNA on the knife belonged to members of the prosecutors office who handled it without gloves after the original crime lab tests.
Without DNA evidence pointing to any alternative suspect, Midwest Innocence Project attorneys reached a compromise with the prosecutors office: Williams would enter a new, no-contest plea to first-degree murder in exchange for a new sentence of life in prison without parole. A no-contest plea isnt an admission of guilt but is treated as such for the purpose of sentencing.
Deacon Dave Billips, with the Office of Peace and Justice with the St. Louis Archdiocese, holds a sign as he stands with protesters holding space to halt the execution of Marcellus Williams on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, outside the Carnahan Courthouse in St. Louis
Joseph Amrine, who was exonerated two decades ago after spending years on death row, speaks at a rally to support Missouri death row inmates Marcellus Williams on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Clayton, Missouri
Judge Bruce Hilton signed off, as did Gayles family. But Bailey appealed, and the state Supreme Court blocked the agreement and ordered Hilton to proceed with an evidentiary hearing, which took place last month.
Hilton ruled on Sept. 12 that the first-degree murder conviction and death sentence would stand, noting that Williams arguments all had been previously rejected. That decision was upheld Monday by the state Supreme Court.
Attorneys for Williams, who was Black, also challenged the fairness of his trial, particularly the fact that only one of the 12 jurors was Black. Tricia Bushnell of the Midwest Innocence Project said the prosecutor in the case, Keith Larner, removed six of seven Black prospective jurors.
Larner testified at the August hearing that he struck one potential Black juror partly because he looked too much like Williams - a statement that Williams attorneys asserted showed improper racial bias. Larner contended that the jury selection process was fair.
It was the third time Williams faced execution. He got reprieves in 2015 and 2017, but his last-ditch efforts this time were futile.
His execution was stayed by the Missouri Supreme Court in 2015, and again by the states then-governor Eric Greitens in 2017, following the discovery of male DNA on the knife that did not match Williams.
Parson and the state Supreme Court rejected his appeals in quick succession on Monday, and the US Supreme Court declined to intervene hours before he was put to death.
Last month, Gayles relatives gave their blessings to an agreement between the St. Louis County prosecuting attorneys office and Williams attorneys to commute the sentence to life in prison.
But acting on an appeal from Missouri Attorney General Andrew Baileys office, the state Supreme Court nullified the agreement.
Summer Hishmeh, center, and Sakura Hassan, both from St. Louis, held hands and cried as they walk with another man away from a protest against the execution of Marcellus Williams outside of the Missouri Department of Corrections prison
Correctional Officers with the Missouri Department Corrections patrolled the area as protesters opposed to Williams execution prayed outside the state prison
Williams was the third Missouri inmate put to death this year and the 100th since the state resumed use of the death penalty in 1989.
He was among death row inmates in five states who were scheduled to be put to death in the span of a week - an unusually high number that defies a yearslong decline in the use and support of the death penalty in the US.
The first was carried out Friday in South Carolina. Texas was also slated to execute a prisoner on Tuesday evening.
The death penalty has been abolished in 23 US states, while six others - Arizona, California, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Tennessee - have moratoriums in place.