Marcellus Williams , a death row inmate who has lobbied for a stay of execution to no avail, was executed o n Tuesday for the gruesome murder of a former news reporter during a break-in of her St. Louis home.
On Aug 11, 1998, Williams, 55, was convicted of stabbing Lisha Gayle, a former police reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, to death during a home invasion. Gayle was described as a "once-in-a-lifetime friend" who saw good in everybody.
The inmate has claimed innocence since the start of his trial more than two decades ago to no avail. Recently, he's garnered the attention of prosecutors and advocacy groups , like the Innocence Project, who have called on Republican Gov. Mike Parson to call off William's execution, citing the lack of DNA evidence connecting the death row inmate to the crime.
Still, Parson maintained William is guilty. He rejected one of the final bids for a stay of execution Monday, outright saying he believes the inmate is guilty and has no plans to reconsider. "No jury nor court, including at the trial, appellate, and Supreme Court levels, have ever found merit in Mr. Williams’ innocence claims," he said in a statement. "Capital punishment cases are some of the hardest issues we have to address in the Governor’s Office, but when it comes down to it, I follow the law and trust the integrity of our judicial system," he said.
Williams was put to death despite questions his attorneys raised over jury selection at his trial and the handling of evidence in the case. His clemency petition focused heavily on how Gayle’s relatives wanted Williams’ sentence commuted to life without the possibility of parole.
“The family defines closure as Marcellus being allowed to live,” the petition stated. “Marcellus’ execution is not necessary.” As Williams lay awaiting execution, he appeared to converse with a spiritual advisor seated next to him. Williams 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.
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 Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said he hoped the execution brings finality to a case that “languished for decades, revictimizing Ms. Gayle’s family over and over again.”
“No juror nor judge has ever found Williams’ innocence claim to be credible,” Parson said in a statement. The NAACP had been among those urging Parson to cancel the execution. “Tonight, Missouri lynched another innocent Black man,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement.
The execution makes Williams the third inmate to be executed in Missouri this year and the 15th of 16th in the US. The latter depends on whether he's pronounced dead before or after Travis James Mullis, another man on death row slated for execution the same day over the murder of his three-month-old son.
There will be two additional back-to-back executions Thursday in Alabama and Oklahoma. The Missouri Supreme Court sided with Gov Parson and denied clemency to the inmate, making his execution all the more imminent, the Innocence Project said.
"Missouri is poised to execute an innocent man, an outcome that calls into question the legitimacy of the entire criminal justice system," said Williams' attorney, Tricia Rojo Bushnell, in a statement. The St. Louis Prosecutor failed to reverse William's conviction after it was discovered the trial prosecutor "contaminated potentially exculpatory DNA evidence," the organization said.
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In earlier motions, the Circuit Court for St. Louis County denied the prosecuting attorney's request to reverse Williams' conviction and execution Sept 12. "Mr. Williams’ case has drawn concern across the political and faith spectrum," stated the Innocence Project. "More than one million concerned citizens petitioned Governor Parson to commute Mr. Williams’ death sentence, as did a group of 69 Missouri faith leaders from the Muslim, Christian, and Jewish communities."
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