Mississippi Executes Richard Jordan, Longest-Serving Death Row Inmate, After Nearly 50 Years
Mississippi Executes Richard Jordan, Longest-Serving Death Row Inmate, After Nearly 50 Years
In a profound and long-awaited development for Mississippi’s justice system, Richard Jordan, the state’s longest-serving death row inmate, was executed by lethal injection on Wednesday night. The execution, carried out at 6:16 p.m. CDT on June 25 at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman, marks the state’s first in three years and brings to a close a nearly five-decade legal saga.
Jordan, 79, had spent 49 years incarcerated following his conviction and death sentence for the brutal January 12, 1976, kidnapping and murder of Edwina Marter, a stay-at-home mother of two young sons. His decades on death row were marked by a series of appeals across multiple trials and courts, with his final pleas for a stay of execution and clemency being denied by the U.S. Supreme Court and Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves just hours before the procedure.
Witnessing the execution, observers noted Jordan strapped to a gurney as the lethal injection process began at 6 p.m. When asked for his last words by Regional Superintendent Marc McClure, Jordan looked to the ceiling and expressed gratitude for the “humane way of doing this.” He then offered a poignant apology to the victim’s family, stating, “I ask that you forgive me for what I did, not forget, but forgive.” He concluded by thanking his lawyer and his wife, Marsha, who was visibly emotional in the viewing area, adding, “I love you. See you on the other side, all of you. Thank you.”
The execution proceeded following an order from the Mississippi Supreme Court issued on May 1. Jordan was among a group of inmates who had challenged the state’s three-drug lethal injection protocol, alleging it could cause “excruciating” pain. Despite these legal efforts, which included a federal judge’s temporary halt on executions in 2015, the state proceeded with the sentence.
In his final hours, Jordan chose a last meal of chicken tenders, fries, strawberry ice cream, and a root beer float. He also had opportunities to visit with his family, legal counsel, and spiritual advisers before being moved to a holding cell prior to the execution.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Richard Jordan’s execution is the 25th in the United States this year. His death concludes one of the longest tenures on death row in American history, bringing a definitive end to a case that has spanned generations.
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