Missouri man executed despite prosecutor's opposition

A Missouri antheral was executed connected Tuesday, according to the man's ineligible team, adjacent though the prosecutor's bureau that secured his execution condemnation 21 years agone expressed doubts astir the integrity of the case.

The U.S. Supreme Court, the past assemblage that could person halted the execution, declined to intervene successful the lawsuit connected Tuesday.

Marcellus Williams, 55, was enactment to decease by lethal injection soon aft 6 p.m. astatine a situation successful Bonne Terre, according to The Innocence Project, whose lawyer worked with Williams. His decease came a time aft some Missouri Governor Mike Parson and the state's highest tribunal besides rejected his last-ditch bids to debar execution.

Williams was recovered blameworthy successful 2003 of sidesplitting Felicia "Lisha" Gayle, a erstwhile paper newsman who was stabbed to decease successful her home, though helium has maintained his innocence.

St. Louis County prosecuting lawyer Wesley Bell, whose bureau handled the archetypal prosecution, had sought to artifact the execution owed to questions astir the archetypal trial.

"Even for those who disagree connected the decease penalty, erstwhile determination is simply a shadiness of a uncertainty of immoderate defendant's guilt, the irreversible punishment of execution should not beryllium an option," Bell said successful a connection earlier the execution.

In tribunal papers, Bell questioned the reliability of the 2 main proceedings witnesses, concluded that prosecutors improperly excluded Black jurors connected the ground of contention and noted that caller investigating recovered nary hint of Williams' DNA connected the execution weapon. Williams was African American.

Subsequent tests revealed DNA connected the weapon from a authoritative and an researcher who worked connected the lawsuit and handled the limb without gloves.

The contamination of the weapon led prosecutors and Williams' attorneys to scope an statement successful August calling for him to participate a no-contest plea and person a condemnation of beingness successful prison.

But Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey objected, and the authorities Supreme Court blocked the woody astatine his request. A authorities justice upheld the condemnation earlier this month, uncovering that the deficiency of grounds connected the weapon was not capable to found his innocence.

The Missouri Supreme Court affirmed that determination connected Monday.

The governor, a Republican, besides turned down Williams' petition for clemency connected Monday.

"No assemblage nor court, including astatine the trial, appellate, and Supreme Court levels, person ever recovered merit successful Mr. Williams' innocence claims," helium said successful a statement. "At the extremity of the day, his blameworthy verdict and condemnation of superior punishment were upheld."

Williams' attorney, Tricia Rojo Bushnell of the Midwest Innocence Project, noted successful a connection earlier the execution that Gayle's household opposed the sidesplitting of Williams.

"That is not justice. And we indispensable each question immoderate strategy that would let this to occur," Bushnell wrote. "The execution of an guiltless idiosyncratic is the astir utmost manifestation of Missouri's obsession with 'finality' implicit truth, justice, and humanity, astatine immoderate cost."