Missouri executes Imam Williams despite prosecutors pleading for his innocence
Missouri executed Imam Marcellus Khaliifah Williams on Tuesday despite those who first prosecuted him testifying to his innocence.
In his final statement, Imam Williams expressed his faith, saying, “All Praise Be to Allah In Every Situation!!!”
The execution was carried out by lethal injection.
It followed a prolonged legal battle where even the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney’s office sought to overturn his conviction.
The fifty-five year-old was convicted of the 1998 murder of social worker Lisha Gayle despite no forensic evidence linking him to the crime.
Family members, jurors, and civil rights advocates expressed their opposition to the Imam’s execution, condemning the state’s actions.
Williams’s attorney Tricia Rojo Bushnell said the execution of an innocent person is the most extreme manifestation of Missouri’s obsession with “finality” over truth, justice, and humanity.
The Council on American Islamic Relations condemned the US Supreme Court, the Missouri court system and Governor Michael Lynn Parson for failing to block the execution.