A death row inmate has been executed for the murder of a woman during a home invasion, despite calls from the prosecutor, the victim’s family, and Richard Branson to spare his life.
Marcellus Williams, 55, was convicted for the 1998 killing of Felicia ‘Lisha’ Gayle, who was stabbed over 40 times during a burglary at her home in St. Louis, Missouri.
He was executed by lethal injection on September 24, and his final words were, “All praise be to Allah in every situation.”
High-profile advocates, including British entrepreneur Richard Branson, called for clemency. In an interview with the BBC, Branson stated, “He’s an innocent person. Even the prosecuting counsel has told the governor that this man is innocent.”
Branson also published a blog post urging Governor Mike Parson to intervene and prevent the “killing of an innocent man on his watch.”
In his post, Branson highlighted that while investigators found substantial forensic evidence at the crime scene, none linked to Williams. His conviction relied solely on the inconsistent and unverified testimony of two incentivized witnesses.
Throughout the ordeal, Williams maintained his innocence, and DNA testing in 2016 confirmed he was not the source of the male DNA found on the murder weapon.
Williams’s execution was one of five scheduled in the U.S. within a week, marking the highest number in two decades. His last meal consisted of chicken wings and tater tots.
As he awaited execution, Williams conversed with a spiritual advisor beside him. After the lethal injection, he heaved several times before showing no further movement. His son and two attorneys observed from a separate room, while no representatives from the victim’s family were present.
“Tonight, we all bear witness to Missouri’s grotesque exercise of state power,” said one of his attorneys, Tricia Rojo Bushnell. “Let it not be in vain. This should never happen, and we must not allow it to continue.”
Williams’s legal team raised concerns about the handling of his case, including the improper exclusion of Black jurors and the absence of forensic evidence linking him to the crime scene. They also noted the mishandling of the murder weapon, which cast doubt on the DNA evidence.
Over a million petitions requesting a stay of execution were submitted to Missouri’s Republican Governor Mike Parson, with the NAACP among those urging him to halt the execution.
“Tonight, Missouri lynched another innocent Black man,” stated NAACP President Derrick Johnson.
Williams was one of several death row inmates in five states scheduled for execution within a week—a significant number, especially given the declining support for the death penalty in the U.S.
This marked the third time Williams faced execution. He had received reprieves in 2015 and 2017, but his final appeals were unsuccessful. Both Parson and the state Supreme Court quickly rejected his pleas on September 23, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene just hours before his execution.
Governor Parson expressed hope that the execution would bring closure to a case that had “languished for decades, re-victimizing Ms. Gayle’s family repeatedly.” He stated, “No juror or judge has ever found Williams’ innocence claim to be credible.”
