UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. — What happened the evening of Lisha Gayle’s death? Court documents filed in connection with the case offer some details into the fatal 1998 stabbing.
Missouri will put Marcellus Williams, 55, to death tonight despite his long-standing claim of innocence. Both Gayle’s family and the prosecutor’s office, which put Williams on death row, are opposed to the execution—an unprecedented combination.
Prosecutors at Williams’ original trial said he broke into Gayle’s home on Aug. 11, 1998, heard water running in the shower, and found a large butcher knife. Gayle, a former reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, was stabbed 43 times when she came downstairs. Her purse and her husband’s laptop computer were stolen.
Authorities said Williams stole a jacket to conceal blood on his shirt. Williams’ girlfriend asked him why he would wear a jacket on a hot day. The girlfriend said she later saw the purse and laptop in his car and that Williams sold the computer a day or two later.
Prosecutors also cited testimony from Henry Cole, who shared a cell with Williams in 1999 while Williams was jailed on unrelated charges. Cole told prosecutors Williams confessed to the killing and offered details about it.
Attorneys for Williams said that fingerprints, a bloody shoeprint, hair and other evidence at the crime scene didn’t match Williams.
A University City Police Department incident report from Tuesday, 8/11/1998 says that officers found Gayle’s body at around 8 p.m. in the front foyer of her home in the 6900 block of Kingsbury. She was in a fetal position and her left side was covered in blood.
A large butcher’s knife was in her neck. She also had stab wounds to her back, thigh, and two more in her neck. Police also describe defensive wounds to her hands and arms, with a large gash in her right elbow.
Officers found a box in the kitchen labeled “Chicago Cutlery.” The room seemed to be in disarray with plastic bags and personal items in odd places. There appeared to be a bloody footprint near a knife sheath in the hallway on the way to the foyer. Investigators also noted blood splatters on the steps leading to the second floor, and on several of the foyer’s walls.
A pane of glass next to the door was broken. Police found that the front door of the home was unlocked and undamaged.
Police did not find any indication that there were suspects upstairs or in the basement. They did find the lights on in the kitchen, living room, front foyer, second floor bathroom, and attic. All other lights were off.
A postal worker said he delivered mail to the home for seven years in an interview with police. It was also entered into evidence. He noted that the front door was open when he stopped by at around 1 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday of that week. It is usually closed. He did not see or hear anything unusual near the home.
Investigators noted in this report that there had been a rash of burglaries in the neighborhood. They contacted area pawn shops to look for Gayle’s missing laptop. The shop owners said that they would not accept a Macintosh because they were outdated and not PC compatible.
Missouri Governor Parson has never granted clemency in a death penalty case. Williams’ execution would be the third in Missouri this year and the 100th since the state resumed executions in 1989.
