Judge declines to halt execution of female inmate in Georgia

“Although Ms. Gissendaner rarely had physical contact with other inmates when I was the Warden, she was able to provide support and inspiration with her strong and kind words to those housed on the secure unit”, said O’Donald in a statement released Saturday.

Since then, a former Georgia Corrections Deputy Director and a retired Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice have joined the family in calling for a stay of execution noting the example Gissendaner could be to her fellow inmates and how unfair her sentence was compared to that of her co-defendant who actually performed the murder.

The lone woman on Georgia’s death row, Gissendaner, 47, is set for execution by injection of pentobarbital at 7 p.m. – unless the state Board of Pardons and Paroles decides differently in a new clemency hearing set for this morning.

Gissendaner was previously scheduled to die March 2, but state officials called off the execution “out of an abundance of caution” after noticing that the execution drug was “cloudy”.

Prosecutors say she conspired with her lover, who stabbed Douglas Gissendaner to death. The application said Gissendaner’s children would he further harmed if she were executed and also mentioned that her co-defendant was sentenced to life and is eligible to seek parole in 8 years.

Gregory Owen pleaded guilty to murder, testified against her and was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 25 years.

If the execution happens, Gissendaner will be the first woman executed by the state in 70 years.

Earlier Monday, a federal judge denied a request to stay Gissandaner’s execution. Otherwise, the drug was fine, Corrections said.

Fletcher said he has now decided he was wrong in voting to deny Gissendaner’s appeal in 2000 when he sat on the state Supreme Court, the statement says. The state plans to use the same compounding pharmacist and the same execution protocol and there’s no evidence additional safeguards have been put in place, King said.

The parole board is the only entity with the authority to commute a death sentence. Meanwhile, state attorney has said that officials have done everything in their power to prevent a repeat, but assured that the execution would not proceed again if it did.

Hundreds of people held a rally against the planned execution in Atlanta Monday.

In a statement released through the Gwinnett County district attorney’s office, which prosecuted the case, Douglas Gissendaner’s family said he is the victim and that Kelly Gissendaner planned the murder and received a just punishment from a jury of her peers. Dozens of supporters turned out in hopes of influencing the state parole board ahead of Tuesday’s meeting. Gissendaner requested her final meal last week: cheese dip with chips, Texas fajita nachos and a diet frosted lemonade.