Georgia Executes Only Female Death Row Inmate in 70 Years

Kelly Renee Gissendaner, a 47-year-old woman, was executed by lethal injection on Wednesday at 12:21 a.m. at the state prison in Jackson, Georgia. Gissendaner was convicted of murder in the February 1997 slaying of her husband, Douglas Gissendaner, whom she conspired with her lover, Gregory Owen, to kill. This was Georgia's first female execution in 70 years.

As the state's only female death row inmate, Gissendaner's lawyers made a last-ditch effort to save her life, citing new testimony from supporters and arguing that her death sentence was not proportionate to her role in the crime. However, the United States Supreme Court denied her three stays of execution on Tuesday, and the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles declined to grant her clemency after reviewing new evidence.

Key Takeaways:

• Gissendaner was executed for conspiring with her lover, Gregory Owen, to kill her husband, Douglas Gissendaner, in February 1997.
• She was the first woman to be executed in Georgia in 70 years.
• Gissendaner's lawyers argued that her death sentence was not proportionate to her role in the crime, citing a statement from former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Norman Fletcher.
• The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles declined to grant Gissendaner clemency after reviewing new evidence, despite a letter from Pope Francis' diplomatic representative asking for a commutation of her sentence.
• Gissendaner's three children, including her oldest child, Brandon, pleaded for her life to be spared, citing her spiritual transformation and remorse in prison.
• Her lover, Gregory Owen, is serving a life prison sentence and will become eligible for parole in 2022.

Statistics:

• Date of execution: 12:21 a.m. on Wednesday
• Method of execution: Lethal injection of pentobarbital
• Number of female death row inmates in Georgia: 1
• Length of Gissendaner's imprisonment: 19 years
• Number of times the U.S. Supreme Court denied Gissendaner's stays of execution: 3
• Number of women who were locked up as teens and testified that Gissendaner counseled them in prison: Several

Sources:

• Associated Press: "Georgia executes only female death row inmate in 70 years"