Missouri has carried out the execution of Marcellus Williams, raising serious doubts about his possible innocence.
Williams was put to death by lethal injection at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at the Bonne Terre state prison. He had been sentenced to death in 2001 for the 1998 murder of Felicia Gayle, a social worker who was tragically killed during a burglary.
Efforts to pause the execution, including pleas from Williams’ lawyers, family members, and even the victim’s relatives, were declined by Governor Mike Parson, the Missouri Supreme Court, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Courtesy of Marcellus Williams’ legal team
In the lead-up to his execution, Williams shared a final statement with prison officials. His last meal consisted of chicken wings and Tater Tots, enjoyed in the morning of his execution. In his final hours, he was accompanied by Imam Jalahii Kacem.
Concerns about the fairness of Williams’ trial, particularly regarding jury selection and potential racial bias—given Williams’ race and that of the victim—prompted the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to call for the execution to be halted. Notably, DNA evidence did not implicate Williams in the crime.
Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell stated, “When there is a shadow of a doubt of any defendant’s guilt, the irreversible punishment of execution should not be an option,” reflecting on the ethical dilemmas surrounding capital punishment.
Governor Parson, however, dismissed the concerns, asserting that there was no credible evidence to doubt Williams’ guilt. He also disregarded requests for clemency from Felicia Gayle’s family, who, while believing in Williams’ guilt, opposed the death penalty.
Williams’ attorney, Tricia Rojo Bushnell, expressed her belief that Missouri was about to “execute an innocent man,” criticizing the state’s commitment to finality over justice. “The execution of an innocent person is the most extreme manifestation of Missouri’s obsession with ‘finality’ over truth,” she stated.
Bushnell emphasized the gravity of the situation, urging that it should not be ignored: “Tonight, we all bear witness to Missouri’s grotesque exercise of state power. This should never happen again.”