A Black Man Was Legally Lynched In 2024

Marcellus Williams. | Source: The Innocence Project

There are many ways to describe what happened to Marcellus “Khaliifah” Williams on Sept. 24 at 6:00 p.m. CST: A state-sanctioned murder; an execution. But the one that fits the best is a lynching. I know the gravitas of the word, but I think it’s time for this generation and those before them to be reminded during this crucial time in our history in the US. Why, you ask? Because on Tuesday, another man from my city was lynched by the Republicans.

Williams, who chose the name Khaliifah ibn Rayford Daniels ‘Abdul Qudduus upon taking his Shahada, the formal declaration of Islamic faith — or Bro Khaliifah, as I knew him — from all accounts was the kind of person your parents would dream their child would befriend. Growing up, he was the kind of kid who took his weight (held himself accountable) and always came clean (told the truth) when he knew something wrong that endangered others would occur. That makes sense because according to one of Khaliifah’s attorneys, Larry Komp, he said that his client maintained his innocence to the end.

MORE: Is Missouri A Serial Killer?

“While he would readily admit to the wrongs he had done throughout his life, he never wavered in asserting his innocence of the crime for which he was put to death tonight,” Komp said.

But the state of Missouri didn’t care about that.

Khaliifah’s legal team filed a litany of appeals around the discrepancies in his case and trial. For instance, the jury selection process was accused of “bias” by Khaliifah’s attorneys based on who was and wasn’t selected to be on it.

Of the many other motions filed to save Khaliifah’s life, the one that stands out centered on the murder weapon itself. There is no clear DNA of Khaliifah linking him to the 1998 murder of Lisha Gayle, a reporter with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper, during a burglary.

People deliver more than a million petitions asking for a stay of execution for Marcellus “Khaliifah” Williams to the Missouri Governor’s office at the State Capitol following a rally in the rotunda today. pic.twitter.com/TBXGvxFVOF

— The WE project (@theWEprojectMO) September 24, 2024

And despite questions of evidence being tampered with by law enforcement, the governor, lieutenant governor and every court from St. Louis County to the U.S. Supreme Court didn’t have the courage to at least grant Bro Khaliifah more time to sort out these motions. Our sister and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said she would have granted the request to pause the execution. If only we had a majority of justices like Jackson on the bench.

Did I tell you that Khaliifah was a proud father, who would talk to his son regularly? Marcellus Williams Jr. was known as the voice for his father and advocated for the release of his father from what he called “enslavement” by the state. I’ll let him tell you the whole story himself.

I spoke to Marcellus Williams Jr. right before he watched Missouri execute his father. This video is from afterwards. Throughout this process he’s been strong. He told me last week his father had made peace with death because he knew he was going to paradise. #marcelluswilliams pic.twitter.com/pNIp1ggL8i

— Deion Broxton (@DeionBroxton) September 25, 2024

Even St. Louis County Prosecutor and Missouri Congressional candidate Wesley Bell conceded the prior administration committed unconstitutional errors contributing to Khaliifah’s unreliable conviction and death sentence, but all courts have consistently rejected his appeals.

At least 200 people sentenced to death since 1973 were later exonerated, including four in Missouri, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Unfortunately, Williams won’t be one of those names on the list.

I never understood the Troy Davis campaign until it hit home for me. Khaliifah was our Troy Davis, and it has not only galvanized the new generation of activists but also lit a fire under consistent organizers.

Michelle Smith, the lead organizer for the #FreeKhaliifah campaign and co-director of Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty (MADP), was happy to see celebrities like Busta Rhymes lend their support, and she knows that Khaliifah was too.

Bro Khaliifah’s last words in his final statement were “All Praise Be To Allah In Every Situation!!!”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by MADP (@madpmo)

Now if you all could excuse me, I have a janazah to attend.

Long Live Khaliifah Long Live,

Peace,

Tory Russell

Troy Davis campaign

Tory Russell is a Ferguson Uprising organizer, internationally recognized Black movement leader and Director of Organizing for the International Black Freedom Alliance.

SEE ALSO:

‘Continue To Fight’ For Troy Davis: Death Penalty Debate Rages Years After ‘Innocent’ Man Executed

Black People Experienced Botched Lethal Injections At Higher Rates, New Study Finds

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