National Urban Leagu Decries "Extreme Miscarriage of Justice" in Marcellus Williams Execution

NEW YORK (September 25, 2024) — National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial said he was appalled and disgusted by Missouri’s execution of Marcellus Williams, which he called an extreme miscarriage of justice.

“History will look back on Marcellus Williams’ execution as a prime example of racism in the criminal justice system,” Morial said. “He was killed in cold blood, a political pawn, without a shred of credible evidence of his guilt still intact.”

 The National Urban League has long opposed the death penalty, which is wildly discriminatory in every aspect, and has ensnared hundreds of innocent defendants. Of the 200 defendants who’ve been exonerated of the charges that put them on death row, more than half were Black. Black Americans are seven times as likely to be convicted falsely of serious crimes as white Americans.

“We can only hope that the guilt and shame that surely weigh on Gov. Parson, A.G. Bailey, and every officer of the court who allowed this to happen today will compel the abolition of capital punishment in Missouri and every other state.”