Outrage is sweeping across the U.S. following the execution of Marcellus Williams, a death row inmate whose murder conviction had been questioned by the very prosecutors who sought it.
Missouri Governor, Mike Parson is facing intense criticism, and is being labeled as “shameful” and “racist” by many, with state and federal justice systems accused of being “flawed” after Williams was put to death by lethal injection on Tuesday, as per a Daily Mail report.
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55-year-old Williams, had been sentenced to death for the 1998 killing of Lisha Gayle, who was stabbed several times during a burglary at her home in suburban St. Louis.
Despite a motion filed by the St. Louis County prosecutor’s office to vacate the conviction, citing a lack of DNA evidence linking Williams to the crime, his execution still proceeded after Parson and the Missouri Supreme Court swiftly rejected his appeals.
The U.S. Supreme Court also denied a last-minute request to halt the execution. Williams had consistently maintained his innocence, and Gayle’s family had agreed to a deal that would have spared him the death penalty, sentencing him to life in prison instead. However, he was not afforded that opportunity and was put to death.
Civil rights organizations, politicians, and public figures have now swiftly condemned the execution. The NAACP called it a modern-day “lynching,” while British billionaire Richard Branson, who had taken out a full-page ad in the Kansas City Star denouncing the execution, expressed his dismay and dissatisfaction with the decision on social media.
Marcellus Williams was killed today by the state of Missouri for a crime he didn’t commit. It’s 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.
— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) September 24, 2024
“Marcellus Williams was killed today by the state of Missouri for a crime he didn’t commit,” Branson wrote on X. “It’s a shameful day for Missouri, and a shameful day for Governor Mike Parson.”
Congresswoman Cori Bush, whose district includes parts of St. Louis County, also condemned the execution, and wrote on X: “Governor Mike Parson shamefully allowed an innocent man to be executed tonight. We must abolish this flawed, racist, inhumane practice once and for all.”
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas also left his thoughts on the matter and added ,: “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.”
Sister Helen Prejean, a Catholic nun and advocate for abolishing the death penalty, then went on to express her thoughts on Williams’ execution, labelling it as “a horrible injustice.”
“The actions of state officials and the courts call the legitimacy of the entire legal process into question,” Prejean wrote on X.
Elad Gross, a candidate for Missouri Attorney General, also criticized the decision, referencing a passage in the bible to highlight what he saw as the governor’s hardened resolve in moving forward with the execution.
Williams was pronounced dead at 6:10 p.m. local time, and witnesses reported that he spent his final moments interacting with a spiritual advisor. His son and two attorneys observed from another room, while no one from Gayle’s family was present.
In a statement written prior to his execution, Williams said, “All Praise Be to Allah In Every Situation!!!”
In defense of the decision, Governor Parson expressed hope that the execution brought finality to a case that “revictimized Ms. Gayle’s family over and over again.”
“No juror nor judge has ever found Williams’ innocence claim to be credible,” Parson said. “His guilty verdict and sentence of capital punishment were upheld.”
However, Gayle’s relatives had expressed a desire for Williams’ sentence to be commuted to life without parole, rather than the execution. The clemency petition filed on his behalf emphasized that “the family defines closure as Marcellus being allowed to live.”
Gayle, 42, was a social worker and former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter who was found stabbed 43 times in her home.
Williams had prior convictions for burglary and robbery, and his ex-girlfriend and a former jail cellmate testified against him, leading to his conviction and eventual execution. However, the stressing aspect of the case for many is the fact that there was no DNA evidence linking him to the crime scene.
Prosecutors contended that Williams had broken into Gayle’s home, stolen a purse and laptop, and confessed to the crime while in jail.
Nonetheless, Williams’ attorneys argued that key witnesses had motives to lie, and that DNA and other evidence, including fingerprints and shoeprints, did not match that of Williams.
The case had long been fraught with questions over evidence, racial bias in jury selection, and DNA results. Back in 2015 and 2017, Williams’ execution was stayed after new DNA evidence on the knife used in the murder did not match him. However, the Missouri Supreme Court ultimately upheld his conviction.
Williams was the third person executed in Missouri this year and the 100th since the state resumed use of the death penalty in 1989. He was also one of several death row inmates scheduled for execution nationwide this week, a stark contrast to the overall decline in the use of capital punishment in the U.S.
The death penalty has been abolished in 23 U.S. states, with six others, including Arizona and California, maintaining moratoriums.
