The execution of Marcellus Williams in Missouri on September 24, 2024, has drawn significant scrutiny and raised profound ethical questions regarding the integrity of the judicial process. Convicted in 1998 for the murder of Lisha Gayle, a former newspaper reporter, Williams consistently maintained his innocence throughout his incarceration. The case garnered attention due to critical evidence discrepancies, notably the absence of Williams' DNA on the murder weapon and the presence of DNA from prosecutors on the knife used in the crime. These inconsistencies have led to widespread calls for justice reform and highlighted ongoing concerns about racial bias within capital cases.
Williams, 55, had been convicted of the 1998 murder of Lisha Gayle, a former reporter for the St Louis Post-Dispatch.
His final words were “All praise be to Allah in every situation!!!” Williams’s Imam, Jalahii Kacem, visited him from 11am to 12.30pm on Tuesday. He and Williams’s son, Marcellus Williams Jr, were in the execution room when officials administered a lethal injection.
His final meal was served at 10.53am and included chicken wings and tater tots.
The execution was carried out at Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, Mo., reports. Before his execution, Williams released a statement reading, "All Praise Be To Allah In Every Situation!!!”
Gayle, a journalist at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, was found brutally murdered inside her gated community home in University City, Mo., on Aug. 11, 1998, previously reported. Investigators later determined that Gayle had been stabbed at least 43 times, dying from 16 wounds to her head, neck, chest and abdomen.
Williams 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 U.S. The first was carried out Friday in South Carolina. Texas was also slated to execute a prisoner on Tuesday evening.
Gayle, 42, was a social worker and former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter. Prosecutors at Williams’ trial said he broke into her home on Aug. 11, 1998, heard the shower running and found a large butcher knife. Gayle was stabbed 43 times when she came downstairs. Her purse and her husband’s laptop were stolen.
While describing Gayle’s murder during trial, prosecutors said Williams broke into her home, heard the shower running and found a large butcher knife. Gayle was stabbed 43 times when she came downstairs. Williams had stolen her purse and laptop, officials said.
It was the third time the Missouri Department of Corrections tried to put Williams to death. In 2015, the state Supreme Court called off his execution for more DNA testing. During the second attempt, Greiten granted his stay.
In an interview with KSDK, Williams Jr stated his intentions to stand by his father during his final moments.
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