Marlon DeWayne Williams

Case record: Marlon DeWayne Williams

Background

Marlon DeWayne Williams was a drug dealer. Williams was black. He was 26 when executed.

Helen Bedsole was the wife of Clark Bedsole, whom she had been divorcing after 25 years of marriage. Sherry Bedsole was Helen Bedsole’s daughter and was 21 when her mother was slain. Sherry Bedsole said, “I'm sorry that DeWayne had such a bad childhood, but for the last 6 years what me and my brother went through would not excuse us to go out and kill somebody.” Sherry Bedsole also said, “He's getting what he deserves,” and, “What he's put our family through for the last 6 years won't even compare to 10 minutes of him getting his lethal injection.” As far as her father was concerned, Sherry Bedsole said, “He's lucky he's not lying right beside him.”

Ann Cascell, of Norfolk, was Helen Bedsole’s brother’s wife. Ann Cascell said, “This excuse of abuse is just unreal. There are millions of adults out there who were abused and who never killed anybody. No matter what the circumstances are, death is 100 percent, and 100% means he will never, never hurt anybody inside or outside prison again.”

Cascell and Sherry Bedsole said several family members, themselves included, planned to view the execution. Cascell said, “He doesn't even have to look at us when he dies, and we feel that he should have to,” and she said, “They say the death penalty is not humane? Well, I don't know about the electric chair, but I feel lethal injection is more humane than what he did to Helen.” Sherry Bedsole said, “I'm just upset about the whole situation -- that (Williams is) going to the governor to seek clemency,” and, “I just have to voice my opinion because my mom's not here to do it.”

Williams’ lawyer based Williams’ clemency petition to Gov. Jim Gilmore on the abuse and neglect suffered by his client during his childhood and adolescence.

Sherry Bedsole also said, “He had planned a massacre on his girlfriend's whole family after he killed my mom. . . . He did not get the death penalty just because he killed my mom. There was more involved.”

The offence

Williams committed a murder-for-hire slaying in 1993 in which he gunned down a woman in her kitchen. The victim was Helen Bedsole.

Williams was paid $4000 by Helen Bedsole’s estranged husband, Clark Bedsole, to kill his wife. The husband knew Williams because Williams had been selling him cocaine.

On November 11, 1993, Helen Bedsole was shot twice in the head as she was standing in her kitchen.

Sherry Bedsole said that Williams was also convicted of cutting the throat of Virginia Parker, the 71-year-old grandmother of his girlfriend, in 1994. Williams pleaded guilty to charges of burglary and malicious wounding in connection with that assault.

Investigation

A taped conversation with an informant occurred in which Williams bragged about the murder and led to Williams’ arrest.

Trial

Williams pleaded guilty to the Nov. 9, 1993, shooting death of Mrs. Bedsole.

Clark Bedsole was tried by a jury and received a life sentence rather than the death penalty. Clark Bedsole was serving a life term and would first be eligible for parole in 2016.

Sherry Bedsole stated that the Bedsoles were in the middle of a divorce when Bedsole paid Williams to kill his wife.

Sentencing

Williams was sentenced to die for the hired murder of Helen Bedsole.

Appeals

The Supreme Court rejected Williams’ appeal in Nov. 1996.

Appeals (court opinions mentioned)

A Virginia Supreme Court opinion 960069 was mentioned, and a United States Court of Appeals For the Fourth Circuit opinion 98-28 was mentioned.

Clemency

Williams filed a clemency petition. Williams’ lawyer largely based the clemency petition to Gov. Jim Gilmore on the abuse and neglect Williams suffered during his childhood and adolescence.

Sherry Bedsole objected to the effort to seek clemency, saying, “I'm just upset about the whole situation -- that (Williams is) going to the governor to seek clemency,” and, “I just have to voice my opinion because my mom's not here to do it.”

Execution

Marion DeWayne Williams was executed by lethal injection in Virginia on August 17, 1999.

EXECUTION FACTS listed:

• Execution date: 8/17/1999
• Location: Jarratt, Virginia

Execution day details included:

• Williams entered the death chamber shaking from the moment he entered.
• Chief Warden David Garraghty said Williams was pronounced dead at 9:03 p.m.
• Williams did not make a final statement.
• Williams asked that the contents of his last meal not be made public.
• Williams’ last words were noted as: No final statement.

Virginia used lethal injection.

Williams was described as the 10th Virginia execution that year and the 69th since 1976. Only Texas, with 184 executions, had put more condemned inmates to death since the state resumed capital punishment in 1982. Williams was the 10th condemned inmate to be put to death this year in Virginia and the 69th overall since the state resumed capital punishment in 1982.

A deceased woman’s family member said she was “amazed at how humane it is, how clinical and how humane it is.”

Other details

Williams rode a bicycle to get to the victim’s house.

Marlon DeWayne Williams was identified with 99-08-17 and Virginia.

The case record also indicated that Williams and his estranged husband differed by race, with Williams described as black and the husband described as white.