Marcellus Williams, who was executed in Missouri for the 1998 stabbing death of Felicia Gayle, maintained his innocence until the end. Despite efforts by the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell to overturn the conviction, the execution proceeded as planned. Williams’ son and two attorneys witnessed the execution, while Gayle’s family had previously stated their opposition to having Williams put to death. Williams appeared to be talking with a spiritual advisor in his final moments before being put to death by lethal injection.
Williams had faced execution twice before, with plans halted in the past to review DNA evidence on the handle of the murder weapon. DNA experts determined that Williams was not the source of the DNA found on the knife, leading to a stay of execution. However, proceedings continued and an agreement was reached for Williams to enter a no-contest plea with a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. Despite efforts to halt the execution based on new evidence, the Missouri Supreme Court denied relief, and Williams was executed as scheduled.
Williams’ attorneys had raised concerns about the fairness of his trial and the presence of racial discrimination, ultimately claiming that executing him would be an irreversible travesty. Top officials in Missouri, however, opposed calls to halt the execution, accusing Williams of engaging in a strategy of extreme delay and manufacturing an emergency through dilatory tactics. Despite admitted mishandling of evidence and other constitutional errors, efforts to have Williams’ conviction tossed out were unsuccessful, and he was executed as planned.
Williams was charged more than a year after Gayle’s death, with prosecutors claiming that he broke into her home, attacked and stabbed her multiple times, and took her belongings before fleeing the scene. Testimony from Williams’ girlfriend and a cellmate claimed he confessed to the murder, leading to his arrest and conviction. Despite his continued claims of innocence and efforts to have the conviction overturned based on new evidence, Williams was put to death in Missouri, becoming the third execution in the state this year.
