September 24, 2024
Statement Regarding The Execution of Khalifah ibn Rayford Daniels Also Known As Marcellus Williams
Khaliifah was extraordinary. Never have we met someone like him, and never will we again.
We learn a little bit about ourselves with each person we represent. We learned a lot from Imam Khaliifah ibn Rayford Daniels, also known as Marcellus Williams. His faith was so much a part of his identity and there was always an acknowledgement of regret he expressed in not finding it earlier. While he would readily admit to the wrongs he had done throughout his life, he never wavered in asserting his innocence of the crime for which he was put to death tonight.
We also learn about the actors in our justice system. It is hard to explain how admitted racial discrimination is ignored and never meaningfully addressed. It is hard to explain how a prosecutor can admit that he contaminated evidence his entire legal career, including for over a decade after the passage of a DNA statute designed to prevent the contamination of evidence, but nothing is done. The hardest thing to explain, and what we cannot understand, is how rote application of a process to protect finality outweighs finding truth and achieving fairness. The cost is an erosion of public confidence in the system. As public defenders, we are proud defenders of the law. As public defenders, we seek application of the law fairly and equally - not exceptions to the Constitution in the name of expediency or harmless error.
We are disappointed how the clemency process unfolded. Ms. Gayle's family was utterly ignored in the Governor's discussion of why he denied clemency. Also absent from the Governor's statement is a discussion of the Board of Inquiry, a body the former governor created because he was troubled by Khaliifah's conviction and death sentence. This absence of information supports a conclusion that there must have been some recommendations from the Board for a commutation--the truth of this will likely never be disclosed. Transparency is a hallmark of Democracy, and it is woefully missing here.
To us, Khaliifah was an inspiration. We aspire to his level of faith, to his integrity, and to his complete devotion to the people in his life. He was fiercely protective of the people he loved, and he loved deeply.
Although we are devastated and in disbelief over what the State has done to an innocent man, we are comforted that he left this world in peace. Khaliifah, Jannah peacefully, InshaAllah.
--Khaliifah's Habeas Team
Statement available here.