The state of Mississippi executed 55-year-old inmate Marcellus Williams on Tuesday evening, despite requests from prosecutors and the victim’s family to prevent his execution.
Williams, who was convicted of the 1998 murder of Felicia Gayle, was executed by lethal injection at 6:10 p.m. CT on Tuesday, the Missouri Department of Corrections said. He maintained his innocence throughout his 23 years in prison.
The execution came after a series of last-minute attempts to save Williams’ life. His lawyers filed several appeals, citing bias in jury selection and a lack of DNA evidence on the murder weapon. The U.S. Supreme Court, the last body that could have blocked Williams’ execution, denied his lawyers’ final request on Tuesday, with all three liberal justices dissenting.
The decision by the right-wing majority of the Supreme Court came after the Missouri Supreme Court and Republican Governor Michael Parson also rejected requests to stay the execution.
“Mr. Williams has exhausted every legal means and avenue, including over 15 hearings in which he has attempted to prove his innocence and overturn his conviction. No jury or court, at the trial, appellate, or Supreme Court levels, has ever found Mr. Williams’ claims of innocence to be valid,” Parson said in a statement.
Since January, St. Louis District Attorney Wesley Bell had been trying to block Williams’ execution, claiming prosecutors had previously made “constitutional errors” that contributed to Williams’ murder conviction. New evidence suggested Williams was “actually innocent,” he said.
“Marcellus Williams should be alive today. There were several points in his life when decisions could have been made that would have spared him the death penalty,” Bell wrote in a statement after the execution. “If there is even the slightest doubt about his innocence, the death penalty should never be an option. This outcome did not serve the interests of justice.”
Felicia Gayle’s family also opposed Williams’ execution.
Williams, a devout Muslim, concluded: “All praise is due to Allah in every situation!” His lawyers described the father of two as “extraordinary.” He spent much of his time in prison studying Islam and writing poetry. He was known to many as “Khaliifah,” which means “leader” in Arabic.
One of Williams’ lawyers, Larry Komp, said in a statement that his death would lead to an “undermining of public confidence in the system.”
“Transparency is a hallmark of democracy and it is sorely lacking here,” Komp wrote. “For us, Khaliifah was an inspiration. We aspire to his faith, his integrity and his complete devotion to the people in his life. He protected the people he loved with all his might and he loved them deeply.”
Lawyers, politicians and defense attorneys across the country condemned the decision to carry out the execution. Representatives Cori Bush (D-Missouri) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Missouri) called for the abolition of the death penalty following Williams’ execution.
“Governor Mike Parson shamefully allowed an innocent man to be executed tonight. We must end this flawed, racist and inhumane practice once and for all. Rest in peace, Marcellus Williams,” Bush wrote.
Former Georgia Congresswoman Renitta Shannon wrote that the Supreme Court’s decision not to block Williams’ execution was indicative of larger, systemic problems in the American criminal justice system.
“What does it say about our legal system when the U.S. Supreme Court refuses to stop an execution even though the district attorney’s office that prosecuted the original case filed a stay motion and supports overturning the entire verdict?” she wrote in a post on X. “I sincerely hope the discussion about #MarcellusWilliams is far from over. I hope this execution politically haunts every elected official in #Missouri and beyond who supported it or didn’t care enough to speak out.”
The NAACP said Williams’ death was reminiscent of the era of racial segregation and racist terrorism.
“Tonight, Missouri lynched another innocent Black man,” the civil rights group said in a post on X. “Governor Parson had a responsibility to save that innocent life, and he failed to do so. The NAACP was founded in 1909 in response to the barbaric lynchings of Black people in America – we were founded precisely because of people like Governor Parson who perpetuate violence against innocent Black people. We will hold Governor Parson accountable. When DNA evidence proves innocence, the death penalty is not justice – it is murder.”
Williams’ death is the third execution in Missouri this year.
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