Missouri is scheduled to execute Marcellus “Khaliifah” Williams, 55, by lethal injection on Tuesday evening, despite an outcry from both prosecutors and advocates who argue he was wrongfully convicted. The controversy surrounding Williams’s case has raised profound questions about justice, with many expressing concern over a lack of DNA evidence linking him to the 1998 murder of Lisha Gayle, a former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter.
Williams was convicted of breaking into Gayle’s home, stabbing her to death, and stealing her belongings. However, the case is now under renewed scrutiny as St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell, whose office initially convicted Williams, has raised alarms about the fairness of his trial. DNA evidence from the murder weapon shows no connection to Williams, and his defense team argues that key jurors were improperly dismissed during the trial based on race.
Bell filed a motion in January to overturn Williams’s conviction, emphasizing that “none of the physical evidence” connects him to the crime. Yet, despite this, Missouri’s Attorney General Andrew Bailey has fought to move forward with the execution, arguing that other evidence—including witness testimony—supports the original verdict.
Williams’s case has seen two last-minute reprieves before. In 2017, then-Governor Eric Greitens halted his execution, ordering a panel to investigate the DNA evidence. However, that panel was disbanded by current Governor Mike Parson, who has been pushing for the execution to proceed. On Monday, Parson rejected a clemency request, insisting Williams had exhausted all legal avenues.
Williams, who has served as an imam in prison and written poetry, continues to maintain his innocence. Advocates, including family members of the victim and Williams’s attorneys, have pleaded for mercy, citing the troubling gaps in the case. Nonetheless, the state’s highest court has declined to intervene, and the execution remains scheduled.
This case has cast a harsh light on Missouri’s capital punishment system and the broader implications of executing individuals when doubts about their guilt persist. Many—including members of the public, legal experts, and even three trial jurors—are left asking whether justice is truly being served if the execution proceeds under such a cloud of uncertainty.
