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Murder of Felicia Gayle

On August 11th, 1998, Felicia Gayle was found stabbed to death in her St. Louis, Missouri home.

Her killer was extremely sloppy and left behind fingerprints, hair, a bloody shoeprint, and DNA on the murder weapon, which he had taken from Gayle’s kitchen.

Soon, Henry Cole told authorities that his cellmate, Marcellus “Khaliifah” Williams, told him he was behind the murder.

Cole told police that one of Williams’s ex-girlfriends, Laura Asaro, could confirm what he was saying. Police talked to her, and she also pointed the finger at Williams.

Along with those two witnesses, police also learned that Williams sold Gayle’s laptop to a man after the crime.

It wasn’t long before Williams was put on trial, convicted, and sentenced to death.

After the trial, Williams claimed he had gotten Gayle’s laptop from Asaro. Forensic testing in the 2020s revealed that someone else’s DNA was on the murder weapon.

Believing there was reasonable doubt of his guilt, St. Louis prosecutors and the Innocence Project were trying to save William’s life, but they ran out time. He was executed by lethal injection on September 24th, 2024. Before his death, he had a last meal of chicken wings and tater tots.

His final statement of “All Praise Be to Allah in Every Situation!!!” was sent to the media before his death.