Marcellus Williams, a Missouri man convicted of the 1998 stabbing murder of Lisha Gayle, was executed despite pleas from the victim's family, the prosecuting attorney's office, and multiple civil rights organizations to commute his sentence to life in prison. Williams consistently maintained his innocence, and significant doubts were raised about the evidence and trial proceedings, including mishandling of the murder weapon and exclusion of potential Black jurors. Missouri Governor Mike Parson and the state Supreme Court rejected last-minute appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene. The execution has sparked widespread outrage, with critics calling it a 'modern-day lynching' and a miscarriage of justice. Civil rights groups, including the NAACP, condemned the execution, while Williams's final statement praised Allah.