The US Constitution grants all citizens the right to due process and ensures that those accused of a crime remain innocent until proven guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt; but for Marcellus Williams, the process failed him.

Marcellus Williams Photo Courtesy of Williams’ Defense team.

Maliyah Simone, CRDN
October 9, 2024

Marcellus Williams was put to death on September 24, 2024, by lethal injection in the Bonne Terre state prison. William’s execution comes after a two decade long battle with the Missouri courts, two Missouri Governors, and multiple prosecutors; including two different appeals and a final appeal to the highest court in the country– the US Supreme Court.

Marcellus Williams was convicted in 2001 of killing Felicia Gayle during a home invasion in University City, MO in 1998.

Felicia Gayle, a news reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, was found stabbed 43 times in her gated community home on August 11, 1998. Biopsy reports state that she died from multiple stab wounds to the neck, head, and chest.

Evidence presented by the prosecution included key witnesses who testified under oath to either directly communicating with Williams regarding the crime, or inadvertently becoming involved with the victim’s stolen purse and husband’s laptop.

Since William’s initial trial however, evidence presented by the defense as well as numerous appeals filed jointly by the former prosecutors have cast this case into more than just shadow.

The battle began before the trial did- when prosecution struck down a potential juror simply based on the fact that the African American man shared a likeness to the defendant. Although this took place pre-trial, it was only recently that the prosecutor admitted to the act.

“He said they look like brothers,” said Assistant Attorney General Michael Spillane at a hearing for a motion-to-vacate on August 28th of this year.

Despite the former prosecution's admittance, the Missouri Supreme Court rejected the motion.

New evidence presented by the defense now implicates the former prosecution further. Traces of DNA found on the murder weapon indicate that, not only did the prosecution handle the weapon without gloves, but also the head investigator of the murder in 1998. Multiple traces of DNA were found and call into question the validity of the results. The defense’s own experts confirmed that enough people had handled the weapon that there could be no denying the presence of another’s DNA was present.

The new evidence came with calls from the very same prosecution to vacate William’s death sentence and change it to reflect life in prison. However, despite this the current Missouri district attorney denied the appeal.

In addition to appealing the courts, William’s defense sought clemency from current Missouri Governor Mike Parson. This came nearly six years after former Gov. Eric Greitens halted William’s previously scheduled execution date in 2017. After initiating a stay on his sentence, Greitens put together a Board to look into the evidence and the prosecution in William’s case. However, when Parson became Governor he put a swift end to the board and allowed William’s sentence to be pushed through.

Parson stated his support of the state Supreme Court’s decision to reject the appeal, stating: “Mr. Williams has exhausted due process and every judicial avenue, including over 15 hearings attempting to argue his innocence and overturn his conviction.”

William’s Attorneys filed motions Monday night to the US Supreme Court in a last ditch effort to stay his sentence. The case was put onto Tuesday’s emergency docket but SCOTUS rejected the motion and the execution took place as planned.

Racial justice groups across the US called for a stay on Williams’ sentence. In a letter to Governor Mike Parson NAACP President Derrick Johnson wrote, “Killing Mr. Williams, a Black man who was wrongfully convicted of killing a White woman, would amount to a horrible miscarriage of justice and a perpetuation of the worst of Missouri’s past.”

This conversation has become national news in part due to the implications involved with a case like this one during an election season. Professor of Justice Studies at Montclair State University Jason Williams spoke to CRDN about the case and its outcome.

“It’s egregious because it seems that the inability of the state (Missouri) to be able to intervene, due to what seems to be a widely politicized motive, reinforces racial undertones and the politics of this country; especially during an election,” Williams said. “It follows a trend of cases in which many black men are exonerated after their deaths when new evidence and further investigation into the cases prove their innocence.”

Marcellus Williams maintained his innocence down to his final moments. His last meal consisted of chicken wings and tater tots; and his last words, according to USA Today were: “All Praise Be to Allah in Every Situation!”