After more than 20 years on death row, Marcellus Williams was executed in Missouri on Tuesday night. The St. Louis resident Marcellus “Khaliifah” Williams, 55, was found guilty of fatally stabbing Lisha Gayle in 1998 during a break-in.
Here’s all we know about the case.
What Is Marcellus Williams Accused Of?
Marcellus Williams was found guilty of murder in 1998 after fatally stabbing Lisha Gayle, 42, during a burglary of her suburban St. Louis home. Prosecutors at Williams’ trial said he broke into her home on August 11, 1998, heard the shower running, and discovered a huge butcher knife.
Gayle was stabbed 43 times when she returned downstairs. Her purse and her husband’s laptop were stolen. Williams allegedly took a jacket to conceal blood on his shirt. However, his girlfriend questioned why he would wear a jacket on a hot day.
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She claimed she later discovered the handbag and laptop in his car, and Williams sold the computer a day or two later.
Is Marcellus Williams Innocent?
Marcellus Williams maintained his innocence and wanted to commute his sentence to life in prison, but he suffered two losses. Republican Gov. Mike Parson denied him clemency and the Missouri Supreme Court denied him a stay of execution.
The Supreme Court of the United States also declined to intervene in the case. His clemency petition centered mostly on Gayle’s relatives’ desire to shorten Williams’ sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Prosecutors also used testimony from Henry Cole, who shared a cell with Williams in 1999 while he was being held on unrelated charges. Cole told prosecutors that Williams admitted to the killing and provided details about it.
However, Williams’ lawyers stated that the girlfriend and Cole had both been convicted of felonies and requested a $10,000 reward. They stated that fingerprints, a bloody shoe print, hair, and other evidence found at the crime site did not match Williams’.
Does Missouri Still Have the Death Penalty?
Missouri’s death penalty has sparked heated discussion over the years. The state has a long tradition of capital punishment, extending back to the early nineteenth century.
Missouri currently uses lethal injection as its principal method of execution, while gas chambers remain an alternative if lethal injection is declared unlawful or unavailable.
Missouri’s death penalty has faced several judicial challenges and public criticism, particularly over erroneous convictions, racial inequities, and the ethical implications of capital punishment. The case of Marcellus Williams is no exception.
Williams was executed despite DNA evidence indicating his innocence. This provoked enormous controversy and called for a re-evaluation of the death penalty in the state. In Missouri, where executions have surged in recent years, ten inmates remain on death row. Last year, the government executed four people.
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Was Marcellus Williams’ Clemency Petition Approved or Denied?
Marcellus Williams’ clemency request was denied. Both the Missouri Supreme Court and Governor Mike Parson denied his appeals and clemency petitions. Despite widespread criticism and assertions of innocence, Williams was executed on September 24, 2024.
There is no physical evidence that connects Williams to the murder of Lisha Gayle. The prosecution’s treatment of DNA evidence on the murder weapon, a huge butcher knife, has rendered it inconclusive, ruling Williams out as the offender.
Williams’ initial counsel has now admitted that he did not give his client’s case the attention it required throughout the trial. His jury included only one black member. There is no forensic evidence that connects Williams to the crime.
The physical evidence left at the site, such as bloody fingerprints, footprints, and hair, does not match Williams.
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The jury never heard evidence that Williams’ ex-girlfriend might have hidden Gayle’s laptop in his car. The prosecution used the laptop as proof of his guilt.
Williams is one of five death row inmates set for execution between September 20 and September 26: Freddie Eugene Owens in South Carolina, Travis James Mullis in Texas, Alan Eugene Miller in Alabama, and Emmanuel Antonio Littlejohn in Oklahoma.
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