The Supreme Court denied two separate appeals to halt the execution Tuesday.
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.
"Marcellus Williams should be alive today. There were multiple points in the timeline when decisions could have been made that would have spared him the death penalty. If there is even the shadow of a doubt of innocence, the death penalty should never be an option. This outcome did not serve the interests of justice," Wesley Bell, chief prosecutor for St. Louis County, said in a statement after the execution.
The 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.
marcellus williams
marcellus williams update
felicia gayle
missouri execution
mike parson
is marcellus williams still alive
marcellus
missouri
marcellus williams execution time
missouri governor
was marcellus williams executed today
lethal injection
execution
marcellus williams missouri
innocence project
execution of marcellus
williams marcellus
did marcellus williams get executed today
who is marcellus williams
marcellus williams last words
governor of missouri
death penalty
did they execute marcellus
what did marcellus williams get accused of
is marcellus williams innocent
missouri execution today
marcellus williams last meal
has marcellus williams been executed
what did marcellus williams
innocence project marcellus williams
marcellus williams age
is marcellus williams dead
marcellus williams live
marcellus williams executed
marcellus williams death
marcellus williams dead
marcellus williams execution countdown
what was marcellus williams charged with
marcellus williams cnn
marcellus williams live updates
marcellus williams crime
what did marcellus williams do
missouri death row inmate
marcellus williams story
marcellus williams innocence project
execution today
marcellus williams last statement
did marcellus get executed
marcellus williams time left
cnn marcellus
clemency
