A 79-year-old man who has spent close to five decades on death row in Mississippi is to be executed by lethal injection on Wednesday, marking one of two executions scheduled in the United States this week.
Richard Jordan was convicted in 1976 for the murder of Edwina Marter, the wife of a bank executive in Gulfport, Mississippi. Then employed as a shipyard worker, Jordan abducted Marter from her home and demanded a ransom of $25,000. He was arrested after attempting to collect the money.
Jordan later confessed to the killing and directed authorities to Marter’s body, which had been concealed in a wooded area. She had died from a gunshot wound.
His execution is due to take place at 6:00 pm Central Time (2300 GMT) at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman, and will be the state’s first execution since December 2022.
Jordan’s death follows the execution of 51-year-old Thomas Gudinas in Florida on Tuesday. Gudinas was sentenced to death in 1995 for the murder of Michelle McGrath, who disappeared after leaving a bar in Orlando. Her body was discovered the next day, and Gudinas was arrested shortly after.
Florida leads all US states in executions this year, having carried out seven to date.
Nationwide, there have been 24 executions so far in 2025— 19 by lethal injection, two by firing squad, and three using nitrogen hypoxia, a controversial method involving the administration of nitrogen gas through a mask to induce suffocation.
The use of nitrogen gas has drawn criticism from United Nations experts, who have described it as cruel and inhumane.
The United States remains sharply divided on capital punishment. While 23 of the 50 states have abolished it entirely, three others — California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania — have active moratoriums.
President Donald Trump has continued to support the death penalty, advocating for its expansion since taking office, particularly in cases involving what he describes as “the vilest crimes“.
