Missouri Execution Case !
Marcellus Williams was executed in Missouri on Tuesday, despite objections from prosecutors and the victim’s family didn’t want to punish him with execution. Though the family of the woman, who he allegedly murdered, agreed to give him life imprisonment.
Marcellus Williams
Marcellus Williams was a 55 year old man, whose murder conviction was called into question by a prosecutor and was executed by lethal injection on this Tuesday.
Marcellus Williams was put to death at a prison in Bonne Terre in Missouri after 23:00 GMT on Tuesday. Even though there were objections to his execution from prosecutors who were supposed to have his conviction overturned to punish him, the family of the woman he was accused of having murdered had agreed to give him life imprisonment.
This comes as inmates on death row are set to be executed within a week in five US states.
Here is what to know about Marcellus Williams, the case and the death penalty given to him in the United States.
Who was Marcellus Williams?
He was a Black man, a poet, a devout Muslim and an imam for prisoners, according to his legal team.
Marcellus William Spent 23 years in prison. During his time in the prison he devoted most of his time to studying Islam and writing poetry. According to The Innocence Project which is a non-profit that works with people whom it believes that they have been wrongly convicted has said that about him.
At Potosi Correctional Centre, he also acted as the imam of Muslim inmates and he was referred to as “Khalifah,” in Arabic “Khalifah” means leader.
On September 21st Marcellus Williams gave his last statement where he stated that “All praise be to Allah in every situation!” The Federal Public defenders who were defending him said that Williams’s faith was a large part of his identity and they also said that he regretted not finding it earlier in life. While he was in prison he became religious.
Missouri’s Execution Case of Marcellus Williams
In 2001, Marcellus Williams was convicted for the murder of a woman named Felicia Gayle who was a former newspaper reporter and a social worker. In 1998, she was found stabbed to death in her home.
During the Trial, prosecutors said that on August 11,1998, Williams broke into her home and noticed that the shower was running and then he picked up a large butcher knife. When Felicia Gayle came downstairs, she was stabbed 43 times and her purse and her husband’s laptop were stolen.
During that day authorities said that Marcellus Williams wore a jacket to hide blood on his shirt. And he was questioned by his girlfriend why he would wear a jacket on such a hot day and later on she saw the stolen purse and laptop in his car. A day or two after this incident, Williams sold the laptop.
At that time a testimony from Henry Cole was presented by the prosecutors. Henry Cole shared a cell with Williams in 1999 while Williams was jailed for an armed robbery of a doughnut shop. Cole claimed that during their time in the cell William confessed to the murder and provided specific details about the murder.
What was Argued by Williams Defence?
The lawyers who were defending Marcellus Williams argued about the fact that there was no forensic evidence connecting Williams with the crime scene and also stated that the murder weapon had been mishandled and also doubted that the DNA evidence has been casted.
The DNA test showed that the DNA on the knife belonged to members of the prosecutor’s office. who handled the knife without gloves after the original crime lab tests.
The Associated Press reported that Williams’s defense stated that both the girlfriend and Henry Cole were seeking a 10,000$ reward and they also had felony convictions. They also made a clear point of view about the fact that the other evidence such as bloody shoeprint and hair found at the crime scene did not match Williams’s.
Local Media reports said, Williams did sell a stolen laptop computer which was stolen from Felicia Gayle’s house. But Wesley Bell, the local prosecutor said there was evidence that William received that laptop from his girlfriend. His girlfriend and Henry Cole, who were the witness in this case, died in the intervening years.
Over the past years, Marcellus Williams got spared from execution in 2015 and 2017. But the result of his conviction wasn’t overturned.
Wesley Bell also said that a prosecutor had improperly rejected potential Black jurors which resulted in a jury with 11 white members and only 1 Black member.
On Tuesday Wesley Bell gave a statement where he said “ Marcellus Williams Should be alive today.” And he also said that “There were multiple points in the timeline when decisions could have been made that would have spared him the death penalty.”
From time to time there were many arguments about this case in the court. On 21st August, when Bell questioned about the DNA test where there was no evidence pointing to alternative suspects. Both lawyers reached a compromise with the prosecutor’s office where the agreement was set that Williams would enter a new no-contest plea for first-degree murder in exchange for life imprisonment without parole.
This agreement was approved by the judge Bruce Hilton and Felicia Gayle’s family. However Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey appealed to the state Supreme Court to block this agreement and order the judge to conduct an evidentiary hearing.
A Prosecutor named Keith Larner stated that he had excluded a potential Black juror because he looked similar to Williams and said that, “They looked like they were brothers. Familial brothers, and he also continued saying” I don’t mean Black people.”
The prosecutor also mentioned that the knife had already been tested but it was not recognised at the time that touch could leave DNA traces on evidence.
What was Ruled on 12th September?
On 12th September, Judge Hilton ruled that the first-degree murder conviction and death sentence would remain in place and also stated that Williams’s previous arguments had all been dismissed. On Monday, this decision was upheld by the state Supreme Court.
A Republican Governor Michael Parson turned down Williams’s request for clemency.
Parson gave a statement after the government of Missouri’s execution, where he stated that “We hope this gives finality to a case that has languished for decades, revictimized Ms Gayle’s family over and over again,” and he also said that “No jury nor judge has ever found Williams’ innocence claim to be credible.”
Marcellus Williams was primarily convicted on the word of two witnesses who testified against him.
The death sentence was finalized and the officials were moving forward with the execution.
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