Missouri on Tuesday night executed a Black man who was serving a prison sentence for a murder in which the DNA evidence raised questions about his innocence.
Marcellus “Khaliifah” Williams, 55, was killed via lethal injection for the 1998 murder of Lisha Gayle, a reporter with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper, during a burglary. He was pronounced dead at 6:10 p.m. CST, according to an anti-death penalty group that was working on Williams’ behalf.
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Williams’ last statement was shared on social media Tuesday night.
“Tonight, Missouri lynched another innocent Black man,” the NAACP posted on its social media channels.
The Associated Press reported:
Williams was put to death despite questions his attorneys raised over jury selection at his trial and the handling of evidence in the case. His clemency petition focused heavily on how Gayle’s relatives wanted Williams’ sentence commuted to life without the possibility of parole.
“The family defines closure as Marcellus being allowed …