Missouri
Marcellus Williams executed in Missouri despite conviction doubts
The 55-year-old was convicted in 2003 over the killing of Lisha Gayle in what appeared to be a burglary gone wrong.
Marcellus Williams, who was convicted of murder 21 years ago, has been executed in the midwestern state of Missouri despite concerns raised over the integrity of the case.
The United States Supreme Court, the last body that could have overturned Williams’s death sentence, declined to intervene in the case on Tuesday.
The 55-year-old was executed by lethal injection shortly after 6pm (23:00 GMT) at a prison in Bonne Terre, according to The Innocence Project, whose lawyer worked with Williams. His death came a day after both Missouri Governor Mike Parson and the state’s highest court also rejected his last-ditch appeals to avoid execution.
Williams was found guilty in the 1998 killing of Lisha Gayle, a 42-year-old former newspaper reporter who was stabbed 43 times during what appeared to be a burglary gone wrong. He had maintained he was innocent.
Wesley Bell, whose office handled the original prosecution, had sought to block the execution due to concerns about the original trial.
“Even for those who disagree on the death penalty, when there is a shadow of a doubt of any defendant’s guilt, the irreversible punishment of execution should not be an option,” Bell said in a statement before the execution.
In court papers, Bell questioned the reliability of the two main trial witnesses, concluded that prosecutors improperly excluded Black jurors on the basis of race and noted that new testing found no trace of Williams’s DNA on the murder weapon. Williams was African American.
Subsequent tests also revealed that there was DNA on the knife from a prosecutor and an investigator who worked on the case and handled the weapon without gloves.
The contamination of the knife led prosecutors and Williams’s lawyers to an agreement in August to commute the sentence to life in prison.
Gayle’s family also backed the deal, but Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey objected and the state Supreme Court blocked it at his request. A state judge upheld Williams’s murder conviction earlier this month, finding that the lack of evidence on the knife was not enough to establish his innocence.
The Missouri Supreme Court affirmed that decision on Monday.
Governor Parson, a Republican, also turned down Williams’s request for clemency the same day.
“No jury nor court, including at the trial, appellate, and Supreme Court levels, have ever found merit in Mr. Williams’ innocence claims,” he said in a statement. “At the end of the day, his guilty verdict and sentence of capital punishment were upheld.”
Williams was among death row inmates in five states who were scheduled to be executed in the span of a week – an unusually high number amid a years-long decline in the use and support of the death penalty in the United States.
The first was carried out on Friday in South Carolina. Texas was also slated to execute a prisoner on Tuesday evening. Travis Mullis, 38, was convicted of stamping his three-month-old son, Alijah Mullis, to death in 2008.
The death penalty has been abolished in 23 US states, while six others – Arizona, California, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Tennessee – have moratoriums in place.
The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 7, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from July 7 drawing
02-31-35-36-63, Mega Ball: 12
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from July 7 drawing
Midday: 1-3-9
Midday Wild: 5
Evening: 8-5-4
Evening Wild: 0
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from July 7 drawing
Midday: 8-1-4-4
Midday Wild: 0
Evening: 2-6-7-0
Evening Wild: 1
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from July 7 drawing
Early Bird: 09
Morning: 08
Matinee: 15
Prime Time: 01
Night Owl: 10
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Show Me Cash numbers from July 7 drawing
12-16-17-28-31
Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.
To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:
Ticket Redemption
Missouri Lottery
P.O. Box 7777
Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777
For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.
For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.
When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
- Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
- Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
- Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
- Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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Updated:
GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. (WDAF) – Authorities said an explosion reported early Tuesday morning was caused by a school employee hitting a firework with a lawn mower in Missouri.
According to the Grain Valley Police Department, officers responded shortly after 7 a.m. to an area near Grain Valley South Middle School, about 23 miles east of Kansas City, for a reported explosion and a person with injuries.
After arriving at the scene, law enforcement discovered a Grain Valley School District employee had been mowing near the school when they struck an apparent explosive device. The explosion caused damage to the mower, and the employee was originally reported to have suffered minor injuries.
Authorities later said the employee is reported to be in good condition with no injuries.
⏩ Read today’s top stories on wkrn.com
The area surrounding the school was blocked to the public for three hours to ensure there were no additional devices or safety concerns. The roads have since reopened, and investigators said there is no known threat to the public.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has been called to the scene to help with the investigation.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KY3) -Missouri teachers are criticizing Gov. Mike Kehoe’s plan to assign A-F letter grades to the state’s public and charter schools, saying the money would be better spent on classroom learning.
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education submitted the proposed A-F School Grading Framework to the governor’s office in response to his January executive order. The order directs DESE to create yearly A-F grade cards reflecting student outcomes.
Under the framework, DESE would produce annual grade cards for districts, schools, and charter schools. Grades would be based on scores from students’ Missouri Assessment Program tests and college-readiness exams, including the ACT and SAT.
For Kindergarten through middle schools, grades would factor in student academic achievement, value-added growth, and growth toward proficiency in English Language Arts, literacy, mathematics, and science. High school grades would also include Success Ready Graduate measures and four-year graduation rates.
DESE Interim Commissioner of Education Stacey Preis, PhD, said the framework is designed to give families a clearer picture of school performance.
“The goal for the A–F school grading framework is to provide families and communities with a simple, comparable, and rigorous picture of school performance,” Preis said.DESE plans to present the proposal to the State Board of Education in August. If approved, schools could receive their first grades under the new system in the spring of 2027. The plan remains subject to change based on any revisions requested during the review process.
Setting up the program would cost $1.2 million in the first year and $715,000 each year after that. That money has not been allocated in the current state budget. That money was not allocated in the fiscal year 2027 state budget, which began July 1. The Missouri State Teachers Association said the funds should go elsewhere.
“We’re currently underfunding schools by almost $200 million, and so I think priority number one should be to make sure that we’re fully funding schools to meet the needs of those students,” said Matt Michelson of the Missouri State Teachers Association.
Michelson also questioned the emphasis on standardized testing.
“I think Missourians have wanted to move away from high-stakes testing, and to place even more emphasis on those one-time statewide tests is really concerning for a community as they look at how they can best educate their students,” Michelson said.
Kehoe said the grading system is about transparency and improvement, not punishment.
“It’s not to admonish any school; it’s to give everybody a target on how do you all get to a better level,” Kehoe said. “You have to know where you stand if you’re going to improve, and you have to have some sort of measuring tool, and that’s what A through F is.”
A bill to codify the plan into state law failed during the most recent legislative session. Kehoe said he wants to see it return.
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Copyright 2026 KY3. All rights reserved.
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