Missouri executes Marcellus Williams despite prosecutors' objections
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Williams was executed by lethal injection after years of legal battles and widespread calls to overturn his conviction.
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Marcellus Williams, seen here in an undated prison photograph.
Missouri executed 55-year-old Marcellus "Khaliifah" Williams on Tuesday, despite strong objections from prosecutors and civil rights advocates who supported his claims of innocence.
Williams was convicted of the 1998 murder of Lisha Gayle, a former reporter, despite there being no forensic evidence to support the charges.
Neither DNA ties to Williams was found at the crime scene nor the murder weapon, raising serious doubts about his guilt.
Williams was executed by lethal injection after years of legal battles and widespread calls to overturn his conviction.
Despite these doubts, Missouri's new Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey pressed forward with the execution, overruling local prosecutors who sought to have Williams’ conviction overturned.
Even the family of the victim, alongside several jurors, opposed his execution, adding to the controversy.
Marcellus Williams has been executed.
— trends (@urwatulwusqauk) September 25, 2024
His final statement was made public.
“All Praise Be To Allah In Every Situation!!!” pic.twitter.com/VdMSPLqa4L
Williams' defense attorney, Tricia Rojo Bushnell, condemned the execution, stating, "The execution of an innocent person is the most extreme manifestation of Missouri's obsession with 'finality' over truth."
Williams' case had previously seen two last-minute halts to his execution in 2015 and 2017 for further DNA testing, which did not link him to the crime.
His attorneys and local prosecutors argued that the mishandling of evidence and racial bias during the trial undermined the case, but these efforts were ultimately rejected by the courts.
Read more: JD Vance pledges death penalty for drug dealers in 2nd Trump Admin.
'Lynching an innocent black man'
The execution has drawn harsh criticism from civil rights leaders, including NAACP President Derrick Johnson, who called it the "lynching of an innocent Black man."
Missouri Congresswoman Cori Bush also decried the state's decision and criticized systemic failures in the justice system.
"We have a moral imperative to abolish this racist and inhumane practice," Bush said.
Williams, who served as an imam during his time in prison, wrote poetry dedicated to various causes, including the martyred children of Gaza.
Rest in Power Marcellus Williams
— NabeelaAkh (@NabeelaAkh) September 25, 2024
Palestinian artist: Shirien
Instagram: shirien.creates
Poem by Marcellus dedicated to Palestine. pic.twitter.com/iTzV7fE8kl
His execution marks a significant moment in the ongoing debate over capital punishment in the US.
