Marcellus Williams, a death row inmate in Missouri, was executed Tuesday night after a lengthy trial that saw even prosecutors raise doubts about his case.
The 55-year-old was injected with a lethal dose of pentobarbital just after 6 p.m. at the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre and was pronounced dead at 6:10 a.m. Fox 2 reports.
Reporters at the scene said Williams was covered from head to toe in a white sheet and appeared to be wiggling his feet and moving his head. His chest then rose about a half dozen times before it stopped, they said, noting that Williams did not appear to be struggling.
His son, Marcellus Williams Jr., his attorneys and Imam Jalahii Kacem attended the execution Tuesday night, but the family of his alleged victim decided not to attend and did not release a statement, said Karen Pojmann, a spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Corrections.
Williams had been fed a final meal of chicken wings and potatoes earlier in the day and issued a final eight-word statement: “All praise be to Allah in every situation!!!”
Marcellus Williams, 55, was executed Tuesday night in Missouri
He had previously released a simple eight-word closing statement
He had been on death row since his 2001 conviction for the murder of Felicia “Lisha” Gayle, a journalist who was found stabbed to death in her home in 1998.
He has since appealed his conviction several times, as his defense lawyers argued he did not receive a fair trial.
Former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens even stayed his execution indefinitely and appointed a board of former judges to review the case and determine whether Williams should be pardoned.
The organization investigated Williams’ case for the next six years, but was abruptly closed under current Governor Michael Parson, who scheduled Williams’ execution.
He argued Tuesday that Williams’ case has been given ample consideration by the justice system.
“We hope this brings closure to a decades-old case that has victimized Ms. Gayle’s family over and over again,” the governor said.
‘Two decades of legal proceedings and more than 15 judicial hearings have confirmed this conviction; thus, the order for execution has been carried out.’
Williams was convicted in 2001 of the murder of Felicia “Lisha” Gayle, a journalist who was found stabbed to death in her home in 1998
This is a current news item and is being updated.