By Saniyah Ikard
Who Was Marcellus Williams:
On September 24, 2024, 55-year-old Marcellus Williams was killed by way of lethal injection. He spent 23 years on death row, and died an innocent man. He was a religious man, a poet; he spent most of his time studying Islam and writing poetry. His last words were “All Praise Be to Allah In Every Situation!!!”
What Happened
In Missouri on August 11, 1998, Felicia Gayle, was found stabbed to death in her own home. The killer left behind physical evidence, including fingerprints, footprints, hair, and DNA on the murder weapon. None of this evidence matched Marcellus Williams’ DNA. The case against Mr. Williams was sloppy, unethical and relied more on testimonies than the physical evidence. The testimonials were given by criminals, fabricated information against him under the incentive of reward money and lessening their own sentences. All the testimonies contradicted with each other, and didn’t match the evidence. But regardless, Mr. Williams was convicted for the murder in 2001.
He was originally to be executed in 2017, but after filing numerous appeals, the then Governer of Missouri granted him an extension, stating that the DNA was unreliable, and created a committee to look into the case. However last summer, June 2023, the current Missouri Governor abolished the committee reviewing the case and a new execution date was set for 2024. The family of the victim, the jurors on the case, and even the prosecuting team did not want Mr. Williams to be executed. The prosecuting lawyers even testified for the Supreme Court that they practiced racial bias in their prosecution in efforts to block the execution. The Supreme Court declined to block the execution, and offered no explanation for their decision.
What does this mean for us?
In 2024, if an innocent man can be executed, what does that say about our country? It raises questions about the validity of not only the death penalty but of our justice system. Yet again, Black men are prosecuted with bias and over criminalized. It means that in America, against all evidence, you can still be guilty not of the crime itself, but of simply being Black. The color of our skin can determine our sentences, not the crime. By declining to intervene even in light of the overwhelming support in stopping the execution, our government showed a disturbing lack of accountability.
We as Americans, no matter the age, race, or background, have an obligation to confront the truth about our justice system. Mr. Williams is another Black American who suffered profiling, harsher sentencing, legal conduct, and wrongful execution. Marcellus Williams should still be alive today. Had he been a White man, history suggests he would have been granted the justice he deserved. It’s a call of action to all of us, to push for reform in our legal system, and scrutinize how systemic racism is still affecting Black people today. Until then, how many more Black men must suffer before we, as a society, are willing to confront this injustice head-on?