Marcellus Williams, convicted of the brutal 1998 murder of former newspaper reporter Lisha Gayle, is scheduled to be executed after the U.S. Supreme Court and Missouri officials declined to intervene. Despite growing doubts about his guilt and opposition from the victim’s family and local prosecutors, Williams' final appeals were rejected, setting the stage for his execution by lethal injection.
Williams has maintained his innocence for years, citing evidence that he claims does not link him to the crime, but courts and officials have consistently ruled against him.
Williams, now 55, was convicted of the murder of Lisha Gayle, who was found stabbed 43 times in her suburban St. Louis home in 1998. Gayle, a former social worker and newspaper reporter, was attacked during a burglary. Despite the brutal nature of the crime, Williams has long asserted that key pieces of evidence—fingerprints and a bloody shoeprint found at the scene—do not match him.
On Monday, the Missouri Supreme Court upheld the death sentence, rejecting Williams’ appeal, while Governor Mike Parson declined to grant clemency. The U.S. Supreme Court also dismissed two separate appeals, with objections coming from three justices, including Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor.
While Williams’ conviction has been upheld through several appeals, concerns have arisen about the fairness of the trial and the evidence used to convict him. The Midwest Innocence Project and St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell have both questioned the strength of the case, leading to efforts to stop the execution.
One of the key issues in the case is the DNA evidence. New tests show that the DNA found on the murder weapon does not belong to Williams, but instead to members of the prosecutor’s office. Despite these findings, Williams’ attempts to block his execution have been unsuccessful. The Missouri Supreme Court previously rejected a plea deal that would have commuted his sentence to life in prison without parole.
Further controversy surrounds the jury selection process during Williams’ trial. Prosecutor Keith Larner admitted during a hearing that he removed at least one Black juror because the juror "looked like" Williams. Larner struck six out of seven Black prospective jurors, resulting in a nearly all-white jury—11 white jurors and one Black juror—raising concerns of racial bias.
Tricia Bushnell, one of Williams’ attorneys, highlighted this issue in the appeals process, stating, "We have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay Marcellus Williams’ execution on Tuesday based on a revelation by the trial prosecutor that he removed at least one Black juror before trial based on his race."
Opposition to Williams’ execution has come from multiple directions. Lisha Gayle’s family, who were deeply affected by the crime, have voiced their support for clemency. In the clemency petition, the family expressed that they do not believe Williams’ death is necessary for closure. “The family defines closure as Marcellus being allowed to live. Marcellus’ execution is not necessary,” the petition reads.
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell has also been vocal about the doubts surrounding Williams’ guilt, calling the punishment inappropriate given the lingering uncertainty. "Even for those who disagree on the death penalty, when there is a shadow of a doubt of any defendant’s guilt, the irreversible punishment of execution should not be an option," Bell stated.
Despite these calls for clemency, Missouri Governor Mike Parson remained firm in his decision. "Nothing from the real facts of this case have led me to believe in Mr. Williams’ innocence," Parson said in a statement explaining his refusal to intervene.
The rejection of these appeals marks the third time that Williams has faced execution. In both 2015 and 2017, stays of execution were granted amid questions surrounding the case, but no such relief has been extended this time. Unless there is a last-minute intervention, Williams will be executed on Tuesday evening, becoming the third person executed in Missouri this year.
Williams’ case has drawn attention not only to the questions surrounding his conviction but also for the broader trend of executions in the U.S. This week alone, five inmates across several states are scheduled to be put to death, reflecting a sharp rise in executions.
Despite the looming execution, advocates for Williams continue to push for clemency. They argue that with questions over the integrity of the DNA evidence, potential racial bias in the jury selection, and the unusual support from both the victim’s family and local prosecutors, Williams’ execution is both unjust and unnecessary.
