Haeeah deWeever, contributor

Marcellus Williams was convicted of murder in 2001. Although the killing of a young woman is

always sad, is the correct pursuit of justice murder? The state of Missouri destroyed, corrupted and tampered with evidence that would have proven him innocent. The DNA found at the crime scene did not match that of Marcellus Williams and the family of the victim has stated that life without parole would have been all the justice they needed. 

The Supreme Court does not go back on their decisions very often, but if we look at the basic facts of this case, it is clear that there was a form of systemic racism and blatant negligence with the information that could have saved Marcellus Williams from a painful death by lethal injection. Williams was a devoted Muslim, known to fellow inmates as an imam, providing hope and spreading the word of Allah. His nickname was “Khaliifah” meaning “leader” in Arabic. It was said that he asserted his innocence year after year. In 2016, the bloody footprints and hairs found on the scene of the crime were determined not to be his through DNA testing. Yet, no court even considered this evidence. This is such a sad case. Imagine being put in prison at the young age of 24 for a crime you did not commit. Imagine day after day, year after year, attesting that you are innocent and no one is willing to listen or give you the time of day.

About four days prior to the administration of the lethal injection, there were hundreds of thousands of American citizens signing petition after petition, attempting to call the county to stop the murder. I tried calling myself and to my surprise after trying five times I stopped. Why? Because they wouldn’t even answer. If you ask me, everyone with common sense could read between the lines of this case. Just look at the dismissal of any African American jurors (which is illegal), the family of the victim saying “we don’t want him dead, prison is enough,” the mishandling of evidence crucial to prove his innocence and the Supreme Court turning their backs on this case. Disgraceful. Every step of the way Marcellus Williams’ rights as a human, an American citizen, a father and a devoted Muslim were taken from him. 

The sad part is the fact that this could have been stopped, but it wasn’t. The case could have been reopened, but it wasn’t! An innocent man is now dead for allegations. Allegations that were believed to not even be true. A system that is supposed to protect us is doing the complete opposite and for what? To prove a point? To prove that our lives are not ours? That the white man’s statements are more trustworthy and credible than anything a person of color can say? It’s truly disturbing that even with the proof of innocence nothing was changed. He was murdered in front of his son. I can’t even imagine the pain of watching the life leave one of my parent’s bodies, knowing that they are innocent. All in all, I would say that this is the opposite of justice. In absolutely no scenario could murder be justified in my eyes.