Time left until execution: 00 days, 00 hours, 00 minutes and 00 seconds
devious smiles
nervous grins
political sins legal flips and spins
fingers begin to bend to form a fist then –
handshakes weakened
cordiality and decorum ends
constitution blowing in the wind
panel dismantled according to whims
governor’s patience wearing thin
“been going on too long”
– been alive too long is what they intend
execution date sought how dare anyone question why?
Marcellus Williams, “An Affair of I”
Statewide protests, international outrage and over 600,000 signatures on petitions in the past two months against the ruling of the death penalty for a crime a man did not commit. The resulting decree? An execution.
Also known as Khalifah ibn Rayford Daniels, Marcellus Williams was a poet and a devout religious leader for Muslim prisoners at Potosi Correctional Center, Missouri with an exemplary prison record. With his discovered faith playing a central facet of his identity, he has admitted to mistakes committed throughout his life without hesitation yet stands firm on his innocence for the charges on which he was put to death on September 24th, 2024.
Williams was convicted of first-degree murder, robbery and burglary when former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Felicia Gayle was found stabbed to death in her home on August 11th, 1998.
A considerable amount of forensic evidence was left behind by the perpetrator including traces of DNA on the murder weapon that was later learned to not match Williams’. Additionally, the prosecution used the accounts of two unreliable witnesses–another inmate and a woman, Laura Asaro, who briefly dated Williams–both sharing extensive records and promised leniency in their own criminal cases. The two were proven to be fabricators when their claims did not match their prior statements, each other’s testimonies nor the evidence found in the crime scene; there was no proof of truth in their stories and no method to independently verify their statements. The only other evidence linking Williams to the crime was a witness who reported the man had sold him a laptop stolen from Gayle’s home, but the jury was not aware that Williams told the witness he had received the device from Asaro.
Despite insufficient evidence, Marcellus Williams was sentenced to execution on August 22nd, 2017.
In a turn of events hours before the scheduled execution, former Missouri governor Eric Greitens expressed uncertainty of Williams’ guilt with new evidence of DNA corruption brought to light and issued a stay of execution until the Board of Inquiry found irrefutable evidence. With no verdict declared by June of 2023, this decision was overturned by new Missouri governor Mike Parson who dissolved the board and disregarded its findings; thus was set a new date for execution.
Despite exoneration now appearing difficult to attain, Williams entered an Alford plea for a sentence of life without parole. This was a decision agreed upon by both the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and Gayle’s family, who did not wish for capital punishment in Williams’ case. However, the state general attorney’s office was against the resolution and sought a writ of prohibition from the Missouri Supreme Court, which was granted. “The Governor’s actions have violated Williams’ constitutional rights and created an exceptionally urgent need for the Court’s attention,” Williams’ attorneys stated in court documents.
On September 24th, 2024, around 100 demonstrators gathered at the prison grounds to display their opposition for capital punishment and Williams’ execution. With the Department of Corrections notified there were no legal impediments to the execution, a lethal injection was administered to Williams, and he was pronounced dead at 6:10 pm.
Missouri’s death penalty laws expose flaws of racial injustice and disparities in representation amongst others. A study conducted in St. Louis County found individuals who were convicted were 3.5 times more likely to receive the death penalty if the victim was white, as in this case, compared to if the victim was Black. Williams’ case additionally saw the removal of a prospective black juror on the account of Williams and the juror “look[ing] like brothers” in accordance with the prosecutor at Williams’ 2001 trial.
“To us, Khaliifah was an inspiration… We aspire to his level of faith, to his integrity, and to his complete devotion to the people in his life. He was fiercely protective of the people he loved, and he loved deeply.” – Khalifah’s Habeas Team
While unfortunately he is no longer with us, it is essential to remember who he was and both the personal and religious endurance he had throughout a series of challenges thrown his way. While society tries to paint an illusion of religious and racial equality, it is stories like his which shed a spotlight on injustice attempted to be obscured in the legal justice system.
Despite being denied exoneration for over two decades, Williams’ final written statement was one of courage, patience and strong belief–an example of strength that must be embraced through the tribulations we face today:
“All Praise Be To Allah In Every Situation!!!”