NAACP calls Marcellus Williams execution a lynching

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At 6:10 PM on Tuesday, Marcellus “Khaliifa” Williams took his final breath, executed by lethal injection in a Missouri prison, with the NAACP accusing Missouri Governor Mike Parsons of committing a lynching.

The 55-year-old Black man and practicing Muslim had spent years proclaiming his innocence in the 1998 murder of Lisha Gayle. Gayle, a White woman, was found stabbed 43 times in her suburban home outside of St. Louis.Recent DNA evidence failed to connect Williams to the crime, casting doubt on his guilt.

His defense highlighted that two unidentified DNA samples found on the murder weapon could indicate a different suspect. Additionally, it was discovered that the prosecutor and investigator who handled the knife did not wear gloves, leaving their own DNA on the weapon.

Despite the lack of DNA evidence, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson and the state’s Supreme Court rejected motions to halt the execution. Williams’ attorneys then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which denied the appeal just an hour before his execution. Notably, liberal Justices Jackson, Kagan, and Sotomayor dissented.

Marcellus Williams Execution Sparks National Outcry, NAACP Responds

The NAACP is calling Williams’ execution a modern-day lynching.

“Today, Missouri Governor Parson decided to take the life of Marcellus Williams—an innocent man who did not commit murder. What sort of message does this send to the people of Missouri and to people across the nation? Marcellus Williams deserved to live,” wrote Derrick Johnson, President of the NAACP.

The execution attracted national attention, with opposition from Williams’ supporters, the victim’s family, and the St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney. St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell criticized the execution, arguing that if there is any doubt about innocence, the death penalty should not be imposed.

Ultimately, three out of the last six and four out of the last 10 executed Americans have been Black men, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

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From Noose to Needle

Notably, the NAACP was formed in 1909 in response to vigilante terror lynchings against Black people that largely went unpunished. While these types of killings have drastically decreased since then, critics of the death penalty say state-sanctioned murder isn’t any different.

“The death penalty is a direct descendent of racial terror lynchings that have been perpetrated on African Americans since their arrival in the U.S., as well as other people of color and those without position or power,” according to the 8th Amendment Project.

Their campaign “From Noose to Needle” draws connections between lynchings and the death penalty.

“It’s no coincidence that the frequency of state executions began to increase just as lynchings started to decline in the beginning of the 20th century. Lawmakers justified their support of capital punishment by claiming that without it, white residents would continue to implement mob justice on their Black neighbors,” their website states.

Williams’ last words Tuesday were: “All Praise Be To Allah In Every Situation!!!”