Above photo: The state of Missouri executed Marcellus Williams at 6 p.m. on September 24, 2024. The Innocence Project.
Despite DNA evidence indicating that Marcellus Williams is innocent, the Governor of Missouri chose to proceed with his execution.
Marcellus Williams has maintained his innocence since the murder of Felicia Gayle in 1998. He was convicted of this crime without evidence, with the case against him resting upon two unreliable witnesses. Recently, DNA testing has confirmed that Williams’ DNA was nowhere to be found at the crime scene. Yet at 6 pm today, the State of Missouri is set to execute Williams for a crime that he did not commit.
In January of 2024, prosecuting attorney for St. Louis County Wesley Bell asked to vacate Marcellus Williams’ murder conviction based on “clear and convincing evidence” of Williams’ innocence. As stated in Bell’s motion to vacate, “DNA evidence supporting a conclusion that Mr. Williams was not the individual who stabbed Ms. Gayle has never been considered by a court.” No physical evidence has tied Williams to Gayle’s murder. Instead, “three DNA experts have reviewed the DNA testing performed on the knife and each has independently concluded that Mr. Williams is excluded as the source of the male DNA on the handle of the murder weapon.”
The Innocence Project, an organization that has been pivotal in fighting for Williams’ freedom and stay on the execution as well as exoneration for other wrongfully convicted prisoners, has been leading a nationwide campaign urging people across the country to call the Missouri Governor, in hopes that public pressure will result in clemency. The campaign has gained widespread traction and tens of thousands of people have been calling for Williams’ life to be spared and for him to be freed.
Yet despite the evidence, and the fact that Gayle’s family opposes the execution, Missouri Governor Mike Parson has denied clemency to Williams.
“Missouri is poised to execute an innocent man, an outcome that calls into question the legitimacy of the entire criminal justice system. Given everything we know about Marcellus Williams’ case—including the new revelations that the trial prosecutor removed at least one Black juror because of his race, and opposition to this execution from the victim’s family and the sitting Prosecuting Attorney, the courts must step in to prevent this irreparable injustice,” said Tricia Rojo Bushnell, Williams’ attorney.
With all legal avenues exhausted in the state of Missouri, Williams and his legal team are hoping for a last-minute intervention by the United States Supreme Court.
Rest in Power, Marcellus Williams.
A poem Marcellus wrote, on Palestine: https://t.co/HGCJyNPGFi pic.twitter.com/GNEGlKyvTv
— Erica Violet Lee (@ericavioletlee) September 25, 2024
Innocence Project Statement on the Execution of Marcellus Williams
Tonight, Missouri executed an innocent man.
Our hearts are with the family and friends of Marcellus Williams and Felicia Gayle, who have suffered unimaginable loss and trauma.
Mr. Williams’ story echoes that of too many others caught in our country’s broken criminal legal system. A Black man convicted of killing a white woman, Mr. Williams maintained his innocence until the very end. His conviction was based on the testimony of two eyewitnesses who were paid for their testimony. No DNA evidence linked him to the crime. And the current St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney acknowledged that errors made by the trial prosecutors – including mishandling the murder weapon and intentionally excluding Black prospective jurors in violation of the Constitution – contributed to a wrongful conviction.
Nonetheless, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office relentlessly pursued Mr. Williams’ execution and opposed clemency. The Attorney General and Missouri Governor Mike Parson – who ultimately denied the request for clemency – ignored the wishes of the victim’s husband who has consistently made clear that he opposed the death penalty for Mr. Williams.
We are profoundly grateful to everyone who joined our fight for justice.
As United States Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall – who, before his appointment to the Court, also fought for the lives of Black men condemned to death – once said: “America can do better, because America has no choice but to do better.”