Marcellus Williams, whose murder conviction was questioned by a prosecutor, was executed by lethal injection.

Williams was put to death shortly after 23:00 GMT at a prison in Bonne Terre, Missouri, despite objections from the victim’s family and prosecutors who wanted his conviction overturned. It comes as death row inmates in five US states are set to be executed within a week.

Here’s what we know about Williams, the case, and the death penalty in the United States.

Who was Marcellus Williams?

Williams, a black man, was a devout Muslim, an imam to prisoners and a poet, his legal team said.

He spent 23 years in prison, during which time he devoted much of his time to studying Islam and writing poetry, according to The Innocence Project.

He also served as imam for Muslim inmates at the Potosi Correctional Center and was called “Khaliifah,” which means leader in Arabic.

Williams’ last statement, on Sept. 21, was, “Praise be to Allah in every situation!” Federal public defenders for Williams said his faith was a large part of his identity and that he regretted not finding it earlier in life. He became religious while in prison.

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What was Williams accused of?

In 2001, Williams was convicted of the murder of Felicia Gayle, a former journalist and social worker who was found stabbed to death in her home in 1998.

During the trial, prosecutors said that on Aug. 11, 1998, Williams broke into her home, found the shower running and grabbed a large butcher knife. When Gayle came downstairs, she was stabbed 43 times and her purse and her husband’s laptop were stolen.

According to authorities, Williams was wearing a jacket that day to hide the blood on his shirt. His girlfriend wondered why he was wearing a jacket on such a hot day and later saw the stolen purse and laptop in his car. Williams sold the laptop a day or two later.

Prosecutors also presented testimony from Henry Cole, who shared a cell with Williams in 1999 while Williams was incarcerated for the armed robbery of a doughnut shop. Cole alleged that Williams confessed to the killing and gave specific details.

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What did Williams’ defense argue?

Lawyers argued that there was no forensic evidence linking Williams to the crime scene and that the murder weapon had been misused, casting doubt on the DNA evidence.

Tests showed that the DNA on the knife belonged to members of the prosecution who had handled the knife without gloves after the original testing in the forensic lab.

According to a report from The Associated Press, Williams’ defense also argued that both the girlfriend and Henry Cole had been convicted of a crime and they were seeking a $10,000 reward. They also noted that other evidence, such as a bloody shoe print and hair found at the crime scene, did not match Williams’.

According to local media reports, Williams sold a laptop stolen from Gayle’s home, but local prosecutor Wesley Bell said there was evidence he got the computer from his girlfriend. Both witnesses – his girlfriend and Cole – died in the intervening years.

Williams was not executed over the years in 2015 and 2017, but this did not lead to his conviction being overturned.

Bell also said a prosecutor wrongly rejected black potential jurors, resulting in a jury that ultimately consisted of 11 white jurors and one black juror.

“Marcellus Williams should be alive today,” Bell said in a statement Tuesday. “There were multiple points in the timeline where decisions could have been made that would have spared him the death penalty.”

Williams has maintained his innocence for decades.

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What other mechanisms were used to defend Williams?

Questions about the DNA led Bell to request a hearing challenging Williams’ guilt, which was set for August 21.

But just days before the August 21 hearing, new tests revealed that the DNA on the knife belonged to members of the prosecution.

Because there was no DNA evidence to point to alternative suspects, the attorneys reached a compromise with the prosecution: Williams would again plead guilty to first-degree murder in exchange for a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

A plea without contest is not an admission of guilt, but will be treated as such when imposing a sentence.

Judge Bruce Hilton approved the agreement, as did Gayle’s family. However, Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey appealed, leading the state Supreme Court to block the agreement and order Hilton to hold a hearing.

Prosecutor Keith Larner said he excluded a potential black juror because of the resemblance between them. He said: “They looked like brothers.

“Family brothers,” he continued. “I don’t mean black people.”

He also indicated that the knife had already been tested and that at the time it was not realized that touching it could leave DNA traces on evidence.

What was decided on September 12?

On September 12, Hilton ruled that the first-degree murder conviction and the death penalty would stand, stating that Williams’ arguments had all been previously rejected. The state Supreme Court affirmed that decision on Monday.

Governor Michael Parson, a Republican, denied Williams’ request for clemency.

“We hope this brings a definitive end to a case that has languished for decades, and has victimized Ms. Gayle’s family time and time again,” Parson said in a statement after the execution. “No juror or judge has ever found Williams’ claim of innocence credible.”

He was convicted primarily on the basis of the testimony of two witnesses who testified against him.

The sentence was finally pronounced and its execution continued.

What were Williams’ final moments?

According to officials, Williams’ last meal consisted of chicken wings and Tater Tots.

His last visit to Imam Jalahii Kacem took place between approximately 16:00 and 17:30 GMT.

At about 22:50 GMT, witnesses — including Williams’ son and two of his attorneys — were escorted into the jail’s viewing area, said Karen Pojmann, a spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Corrections. No one from the victim’s family was present.

At 23:00 GMT, Attorney General Andrew Bailey informed the Department of Corrections that there were no legal obstacles to the execution. The lethal injection was administered at 23:01 GMT.

According to a report by The Associated Press, Williams wiggled his feet under a white sheet pulled up to his neck and moved his head slightly. His chest then rose and fell about six times and showed no further movement.

According to Pojmann, Williams was pronounced dead at 23:10 GMT.

What is the current situation regarding the death penalty in the US?

Williams’ case underscores the seriousness of executing an innocent person.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, at least 200 people have been wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death since 1973.

Currently, death row inmates in five states are scheduled to be executed within a week. The first execution took place Friday in South Carolina, and two inmates were pronounced dead Tuesday night, including Williams.

In South Carolina, Freddie Owens died by lethal injection in the state’s first execution in 13 years. Williams was the third inmate executed in Missouri this year and the 100th since the state reinstated the death penalty in 1989.

According to a report by The Associated Press, if the two remaining executions in Alabama and Oklahoma are carried out this week, it will be the first time in 20 years that five executions have taken place within a seven-day period.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, there are currently 48 executions scheduled in 11 states for 2024, 16 of which have actually been carried out.