Mississippi's Unyielding Verdict: Death Row's Longest Survivor Faces Execution

Richard Gerald Jordan, Mississippi's longest-serving death row inmate, is set for execution on June 25, as ruled by the state Supreme Court. Jordan, 78, convicted of a 1976 kidnapping and murder, has repeatedly appealed his sentence. His latest appeal was denied in October 2022.

The Mississippi Supreme Court has announced the scheduled execution of Richard Gerald Jordan, the state's longest-serving death row inmate. At 78, Jordan, convicted in 1976 for the kidnapping and murder of Edwina Marter, has exhausted all appeals after his latest attempt was denied last October.

Jordan's grim history dates back to January 1976, when he kidnapped and fatally shot Edwina Marter in a Harrison County forest. Initially traveling from Louisiana, Jordan posed as an electric company employee to gain access to the Marters' residence. He then demanded a $25,000 ransom with a false guarantee of Edwina's safety.

This imminent execution marks Mississippi's first since December 2022, as legal debate continues around the state's various death penalty methods, including lethal injection, nitrogen gas, electrocution, or firing squad.

(With inputs from agencies.)