After Marcellus Williams is executed in Missouri, a nation reacts

After Marcellus Williams is executed in Missouri, a nation reacts Marcellus Williams was executed in Missouri on Tuesday, having been convicted for the 1998 murder of Lisha Gayle, a former police reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch killed during a burglary at the St. Louis suburban home she shared with her physician husband. Williams, 55, who had always maintained his innocence through two previous stays of execution, became the third inmate to be executed in Missouri this year, and the 15th person in the nation. In recent months, St. Louis County prosecutor Attorney Wesley Bell filed a motion to vacate the death sentence, presenting a new DNA lab report showing the murder weapon had been mishandled during Williams’ trial. Execution provokes widespread condemnation Reactions from across the internet were overwhelmingly in opposition to the death sentence given to Williams. “Tonight, we all bear witness to Missouri’s grotesque exercise of state power,” Williams’ attorney, Tricia Rojo Bushnell, said in a statement before the execution, emphasizing how prosecutors had “zealously fought to undo the conviction and save Mr. Williams’ life.” Missouri Congresswoman Cori Bush said that “The state of Missouri and our nation’s legal system failed Marcellus Williams, and as long as we uphold the death penalty, we continue to perpetuate this depravity.” Conservative radio host Dana Loesch used the news of Williams’ execution to draw attention to the death of St. Louis Police Officer David Lee, who was killed when a suspected drunk driver hit him Sunday. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/09/25/marcellus-williams-executed-missouri-reactions/75374225007/