SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Missouri Supreme Court decided Monday to not halt the execution of Marcellus Williams , a man convicted of killing St. Louis woman Lisha Gayle in 1998.
Just ahead of the decision, a group gathered in Springfield to protest Williams’ placement on death row. The protest was held by The Party of Socialism and Liberation in front of the United States Courthouse at the intersection of John Q. Hammons Parkway and E. St. Louis Street.
Protest organizer Lucy Mayfield says the evidence doesn’t link Wallace to the crime.
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“There is absolutely no reason to believe that he did this. And at that point, our justice system says innocent until proven guilty,” says Mayfield.
Williams is convicted of breaking into Lisha Gayle’s St. Louis home and stabbing her to death in August of 1998. In the years since the conviction, Williams has maintained his innocence. During the trial, there were concerns that original members of the prosecution team mishandled evidence — including the murder weapon.