By Samantha P.
JACKSON, MS – Richard Gerald Jordan, Mississippi’s longest-serving death row inmate, has been scheduled for execution nearly five decades after his conviction for a 1976 kidnapping and murder, according to the Associated Press.
The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Jordan, now 78, is to be executed on June 25, 2025. The decision follows years of litigation and failed appeals, with the court stating that Jordan has “exhausted all state and federal remedies.”
Jordan was convicted of kidnapping Edwina Marter from her home in Harrison County in January 1976. According to court records, he posed as an electric company worker to gain access to the Marters’ home. After abducting Edwina, he drove her into a wooded area, shot her, and killed her.
Following the murder, Jordan called her husband, Charles Marter, falsely claimed that she was unharmed, and demanded a $25,000 ransom in exchange for her safe return.
Jordan has remained on death row since his conviction that same year. Over the years, he has filed multiple appeals seeking to overturn his sentence. His most recent legal effort was denied in October 2024.
The court’s execution order did not specify the method by which Jordan will be put to death. Under Mississippi law, the available execution methods include lethal injection, firing squad, nitrogen hypoxia, and electrocution.
Mississippi has not carried out an execution since December 2022. Jordan’s case now marks one of the most prolonged periods between sentencing and execution in U.S. history.
The execution order coincided with a separate high-profile case: Army combat veteran Jeffrey Hutchinson was executed in Florida on the same day the Mississippi court issued its ruling on Jordan.
