A Missouri man has been executed for a 1998 murder. Was he guilty or innocent?
Questions are still swirling around the execution of a Missouri man convicted of fatally stabbing a woman in 1998
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — With the end of his life approaching, Missouri death row inmate Marcellus Williams was offered an opportunity to make a final statement to the world.
His words were few — neither proclaiming innocence nor admitting guilt in the 1998 murder of Lisha Gayle, a social worker and former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter who was stabbed 43 times during a burglary of her suburban St. Louis home. Williams instead seemed to express peace with his fate, writing simply: “All Praise Be To Allah In Every Situation!!!”
Williams' execution Tuesday has left others to debate whether it should have occurred.
Missouri's governor, attorney general and top court remain convinced of his guilt. Those who advocated for him continue to insist he was innocent. The St. Louis County prosecutor, citing lingering questions, believes Williams' sentence should have been converted to life in prison. Gayle's family, though not publicly outspoken, also joined in a request to let Williams live.
