If you look around X today, you'll find plenty of the usual suspects weighing in on capital punishment. Marcellus Williams was executed in Missouri Tuesday night. Just for starters:
We must abolish the death penalty.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) September 25, 2024
Here's the AP's coverage:
BREAKING: Missouri executes a man for the 1998 killing of a woman despite her family’s calls to spare his life https://t.co/W8KUo9UwrN
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 24, 2024
A Missouri man convicted of breaking into a woman’s home and repeatedly stabbing her was executed Tuesday over the objections of the victim’s family and the prosecutor, who wanted the death sentence commuted to life in prison.
Marcellus Williams, 55, was convicted in the 1998 killing of Lisha Gayle, who was stabbed during the burglary of her suburban St. Louis home.
…
The Department of Corrections released a brief statement that Williams had written ahead of time, saying: “All Praise Be to Allah In Every Situation!!!”
Republican Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said he hoped the execution brings finality to a case that “languished for decades, revictimizing Ms. Gayle’s family over and over again.”
“No juror nor judge has ever found Williams’ innocence claim to be credible,” Parson said in a statement.
The NAACP had been among those urging Parson to cancel the execution.
“Tonight, Missouri lynched another innocent Black man,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement.
Williams lay in wait in her apartment till she came home and stabbed her 43 times, leaving the knife lodged in her neck before making off with her purse. Her purse was found in his car and he confessed to two separate people. Her name was Felicia Gayle. https://t.co/K0OQz6xksu pic.twitter.com/wIYPEp0Sk0
— Gregg Keller (@RGreggKeller) September 24, 2024
There were plenty of hot takes, such as those below:
Tonight, Missouri lynched Marcellus Williams. DNA evidence proved he was innocent. It didn’t matter. Because the United States is a serial killer of Black people. pic.twitter.com/PUgTdzm8xU
— Ibram X. Kendi (@ibramxk) September 25, 2024
A nation that allows an innocent man to be executed does not value justice.
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) September 24, 2024
A governor and a High Court that do nothing to stop such a travesty do not value life.
The same 6 justices who claim to be “pro-life” just signed off on the lynching of an innocent Black man.
— Tristan Snell (@TristanSnell) September 25, 2024
Notice the use of the word "lynching" because Williams was black.
If you read, even briefly, about the Marcellus Williams case, there was a mountain of evidence proving his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt
— Buck Sexton (@BuckSexton) September 25, 2024
People shouting online that he was innocent are delusional, or just like to publicly preen as champions of the “wrongfully convicted”
Marcellus Williams is 100% guilty btw. History of home burglaries, he had property from the murder victim's home in his car, his cellmate, girlfriend & the man he sold the victim's laptop to testified against him. This isn't a remotely difficult case
— Sean Fitzgerald (Actual Justice Warrior) (@IamSean90) September 24, 2024
Every time the Innocence Project makes a cause celebre out of a death row inmate, if you read the court filings, it becomes obvious that they committed an absolutely gruesome murder and that the evidence against them is overwhelming
— Will Chamberlain (@willchamberlain) September 25, 2024
No, the racist justice system just likes to lynch innocent black men. In response to Ibram X. Kendi:
Note: He "innocently" stabbed a woman 43 times, left a knife in her neck, and was discovered when his girlfriend found the victim’s purse in his car.
— 🪬Autonomous Allie Zone🪬Ⓥ (@AutonomousAllie) September 25, 2024
Nah, dude was a career criminal who stabbed a woman 43 times, left the knife in her neck, and was discovered when his girlfriend found the victim’s purse in his car.
— Liberacrat™️ (@Liberacrat) September 25, 2024
Why don’t you speak about victims like Officer David Lee, you race hustling clown.
Everything you just said is a lie. Every single word.
— Maximus D. Meridius (@Most_Maximus1) September 25, 2024
DNA evidence did not prove he was innocent
— You dont need to know (@ragnars_repos) September 25, 2024
That is a lie. DNA evidence did NOT in fact exonerate him.
— T. Ford 🇺🇸🌴 🐊 (@ChimayBlue) September 25, 2024
Here's why we know you're simply just another race hustler. If this was a white dude, your tweet doesn't exist.
I support the death penalty for animals that commit such heinous acts no matter what they look like.
Shut up. The dude was a murderer and deserved worse than the death penalty. The crime was why it took so damn long!! Stop race hustling you absolute piece of shit.
— Bayou Frogcake (@BayouTD) September 25, 2024
Execution of a convicted criminal is not a lynching. Why are you lying?
— Rampant Madness (@RampantMadness) September 25, 2024
“Lynched.” “Serial Killer of black people.”
— Anton Chigurh (@AntonChigu22554) September 25, 2024
I agree that he should not have been executed, but this type of hyperbole is why no one takes you seriously.
I don't know how I feel about executions of death row inmates. I go back & forth.
— PharaohsMom🐾🐾🐾 (@SpottedDogAcres) September 25, 2024
But he wasn't lynched. He was convicted of stabbing his victim to death with overwhelming evidence.
A hero worthy of pity, he is not.
Thank you for this. Although you might not realize it, your statement serves as a strong reminder that race hustlers are also serial liars.
— End the Simpsons (@EndTheSimpsons) September 25, 2024
You can oppose the death penalty, but that doesn't mean Williams was innocent or that the U.S. is a "serial killer of Black people."
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