Missouri death row inmate Marcellus Williams was executed by lethal injection Tuesday for the 1998 murder of Lisha Gayle, a former newspaper reporter who was found brutally stabbed in her suburban St.Louis home.Williams, 55, died after 6:00 p.m.
CDT at a Missouri state prison in Bonne Terre in Francois County, approximately 60 miles southwest of St.Louis, Williams' lawyer confirmed to ABC News.The capital punishment case saw national attention with Williams maintaining his innocence, the victim's family opposing the execution and his prosecution submitting motions for appeals at every level.MORE: Court holds evidentiary hearing for Missouri death row inmate claiming innocence before execution dateThe United States Supreme Court denied two separate appeals to spare Williams' life on Tuesday an hour ahead of his execution, despite the objection of Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor.Williams' attorney Tricia Rojo Bushnell released a statement after SCOTUS' decision, saying, "Tonight, Missouri will execute an innocent man Marcellus "Khaliifah" Williams.""As dark as today is, we owe it to Khaliifah to build a brighter future.
We are thankful to the St.Louis Prosecuting Attorney, for his commitment to truth and justice and all he did to try to prevent this unspeakable wrong.
And for the millions of people who signed petitions, made calls, and shared Khaliifah's story," Bushnell said.On Monday, Missouri Gov.Mike Parson and the state's Supreme Court rejected a bid to halt the execution.This photo provided by the Missouri Department of Corrections shows Marcellus Williams.Missouri Department of Corrections via APIn a statement to ABC News, Parson said, "No jury nor court, including at the trial, appellate, and Supreme Court levels, have ever found merit in Mr.
Williams' innocence claims.""At the end of the day, his guilty verdict and sentence of capital punishment were upheld.Nothing from the real facts of this case have led me to believe ...