In Missouri, 55-year-old Marcellus Williams was executed for killing a former journalist in 1998. The execution was opposed by three Supreme Court justices, the slain woman's family and the district attorney. The convict's attorney said an innocent man was put to death by lethal injection.
Marcellus Williams was sentenced to death for the 1998 murder of Lisha Gayle, a former journalist who was found brutally stabbed more than 40 times in her suburban St. Louis home. Williams has maintained his innocence throughout.
The execution was opposed by three of the nine Supreme Court justices, the slain woman's family and St. Louis County District Attorney Wesley Bell.
“Marcellus Williams should be alive. There were many moments when decisions could have been made that would have saved him from the death penalty. If there is even a shadow of a doubt, the death penalty should never have been an option. This outcome did not serve the interests of justice,” Bell argued.
“Dark Day”
Williams' defense stressed that his DNA was never found on the murder weapon.
In their Supreme Court clemency application, lawyers emphasized that the murdered woman’s family believed Williams should not have been executed. The family accepted a life sentence agreement reached in August.
Williams' attorney Tricia Rojo Bushnell pointed out that an innocent man was killed by lethal injection.
“As dark as today is … we are grateful to the St. Louis District Attorney for his commitment to truth and justice and for all he did to prevent this unspeakable harm. We are grateful to the millions of people who signed the petition and made the calls,” Bushnell said.
Death penalty in the USAPAP/DPA
On Monday, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson and the state Supreme Court rejected a request for a stay of execution.
“No jury, appellate court, trial court or Supreme Court found merit in Mr. Williams' claims of innocence. The conviction and death sentence were upheld. Nothing in the true facts of this case led me to believe Mr. Williams is innocent,” Parson said, according to ABC News.
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