Watch: White House reacts to execution of Marcellus Williams
"The president has long talked about his serious concerns about the death penalty ... whether it is consistent with the values fundamental to our sense of justice and fairness," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told theGrio.
The White House on Thursday declined to comment specifically on the state execution of Marcellus Williams in Missouri, which has caused outrage among those who claimed his innocence.
Williams, 55, who had been on death row for nearly three decades, was executed by lethal injection on Tuesday for a 1998 case in which he was convicted of murder. Despite St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell’s attempt to appeal his conviction and sentence due to concerns about the evidence and jury selection process, the state’s attorney general, Andrew Bailey, blocked it.
A St. Louis County circuit court judge also dismissed an effort to vacate Williams’ conviction and sentence. Missouri Gov. Michael Parsons, the state Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court all declined to intervene despite questions about his guilt.
When asked by theGrio about how President Joe Biden, who opposes the death penalty, personally felt about Williams’ execution, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said she couldn’t comment on the case specifically; however, she emphasized the president’s stance on the death penalty.
“So obviously I can’t speak to this case … but the president has long talked about his serious concerns about the death penalty as currently implemented and whether it is consistent with the values fundamental to our sense of justice and fairness,” Jean-Pierre told theGrio.
“He supports the attorney general’s decision to issue a moratorium on federal executions while the Department of Justice conducts a comprehensive review of policies and procedures governing the federal death penalty.”
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