Richard Gerald Jordan’s execution was the third in the state in the last 10 years with the most recent one was carried out in December 2022.
Richard Gerald Jordan, the longest-serving man on Mississippi’s death row, was executed Wednesday—nearly five decades after he was sentenced for the kidnapping and murder of a bank loan officer’s wife in a botched ransom scheme.
Jordan, 79, a Vietnam War veteran diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), was convicted in 1976 for the killing of Edwina Marter. He was executed by lethal injection at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman. His death was pronounced at 6:16 p.m.
The execution began at 6:00 p.m., with Jordan lying still on the gurney, his mouth slightly open. He took several deep breaths before becoming motionless.
Final Words and Witnesses
In his final statement, Jordan expressed gratitude for what he called a “humane” process.
“I want to apologize to the victim’s family,” he said, also thanking his wife, attorneys, and asking for forgiveness.
His last words: “I will see you on the other side, all of you.”
His wife, Marsha Jordan, was present for the execution, along with his attorney, Krissy Nobile, and spiritual advisor Rev. Tim Murphy. Both his wife and attorney were seen wiping away tears.
A Family’s Long Wait for Justice
Following the execution, Keith Degruy, speaking for Edwina Marter’s family, read a statement from her husband and sons—who chose not to attend the execution.
“Nothing will bring back our mom, sister, and our friend,” the statement read. “Nothing can ever change what Jordan took from us 49 years ago. He tried desperately to avoid the death penalty and simply die in prison. We never had a choice.”
Jordan’s execution was the third in Mississippi over the past decade. It came just a day after Florida carried out its own execution, marking what could be the highest number of U.S. executions in a single year since 2015.
The 1976 Crime
According to Mississippi Supreme Court records, Jordan called Gulf National Bank in January 1976 and asked to speak to a loan officer. After learning Charles Marter was available, he hung up, looked up the family’s home address, and kidnapped Edwina Marter.
He took her to a wooded area, where he fatally shot her. He later called her husband, falsely claiming she was safe and demanded $25,000 in ransom.
Eric Marter, who was 11 when his mother was killed, said ahead of the execution that justice was long overdue.
“It should have happened a long time ago,” he told the Associated Press. “I’m not really interested in giving him the benefit of the doubt… He needs to be punished.”
Legal Battles and Mental Health Claims
Jordan’s case went through decades of legal proceedings, including four trials and numerous appeals. At the time of his death, he was one of just 22 people in the U.S. sentenced to death in the 1970s who remained on death row, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear his final appeal, which argued that he had been denied due process by not being given access to an independent mental health expert during trial.
Krissy Nobile, director of Mississippi’s Office of Capital Post-Conviction Counsel, said the jury never heard key context about Jordan’s mental health.
“He was never provided an independent mental health professional,” Nobile said. “The jury never learned about his Vietnam experiences and the trauma that may have contributed to his actions.”
A clemency petition submitted to Governor Tate Reeves emphasized Jordan’s severe PTSD, developed after three consecutive tours in Vietnam. Reeves denied the request.
Franklin Rosenblatt, president of the National Institute of Military Justice and author of the clemency petition, argued that evolving understanding of war trauma should have influenced how the case was handled.
“We just know so much more now than we did during the Vietnam era about how trauma affects the brain and behavior,” Rosenblatt said.
But Eric Marter rejected that explanation.
“I know what he did,” he said. “He wanted money, and he couldn’t take her with him. So he did what he did.”
