Missouri Executes Former Death Row Inmate Despite Victim’s Family’s Pleas for Clemency

The State of Missouri executed Marcellus Williams, 55, on Tuesday for the 1998 murder of Lisha Gayle, despite the victim’s family and the local prosecutor calling for his death sentence to be commuted to life in prison. Williams, convicted of fatally stabbing Gayle during a burglary at her St. Louis home, faced the death penalty despite concerns raised about the fairness of his trial and evidence handling.

Williams’ clemency petition highlighted the wishes of Gayle’s family, who argued for his life to be spared. “The family defines closure as Marcellus being allowed to live,” the petition stated. However, the Missouri Supreme Court and Governor Mike Parson dismissed these pleas, with Parson stating that no juror or judge had found Williams’ claims of innocence credible.

The execution proceeded while Williams appeared calm, speaking with a spiritual advisor before his chest heaved a few times, after which he showed no further movement. His attorneys and son witnessed the execution, but no members of the victim’s family were present.

Williams had narrowly escaped execution in 2015 and 2017, but his final appeals were denied, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene just hours before his execution. His case drew attention from civil rights groups, including the NAACP, whose president Derrick Johnson condemned the execution as the state “lynching another innocent Black man.”

Williams’ defense centered on claims that key trial witnesses, including his ex-girlfriend and a jailhouse informant, were unreliable due to their criminal records and potential motives to receive a reward. Additionally, DNA evidence and other forensic inconsistencies raised questions about Williams’ guilt. St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell had sought to commute Williams’ sentence to life in prison after new DNA testing revealed mishandling of evidence by the prosecutor’s office. Despite an agreement between Bell and Williams’ attorneys, the Missouri Attorney General’s office intervened, and the state Supreme Court blocked the agreement.

Williams’ death marks the 100th execution in Missouri since the state reinstated the death penalty in 1989 and the third this year alone. The case continues to spark debates over the use of the death penalty, racial bias in jury selection, and concerns about wrongful convictions.