The execution of the only woman on Georgia’s death row was scheduled earlier this year, and delayed by bad weather and a shortage of lethal injection drugs. The parole board at that time had considered pleas for clemency on behalf of Kelly Gissendaner, who is reported to have undergone a profound spiritual conversion during her time in prison.
The Washington Post reports,
Bishop Robert Wright of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, who has asked Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal (R) to halt all executions in the state, signed a letter asking authorities to commute Gissendaner’s death sentence and change her punishment to life in prison without parole. The letter argued that Gissendaner has “experienced a profound spiritual transformation” during her time behind bars.
Back in March, the Café reported that the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles denied the request for clemency, while putting a stay on the execution because of potential problems with the drugs to be administered.
Now, the Board says that it will meet this morning at 11 am to consider a new request from Gissendaner, including “supplemental information.”
Gissendaner’s latest appointment for execution is at 7 pm tonight.
Gissendaner was convicted in 1997 of planning and arranging the murder of her husband. In its earlier coverage of the case, the
Café noted CNN’s observation that
the only other woman to have been executed by the state of Georgia, Lena Baker, received a posthumous pardon sixty years after her death, when the parole board found that “it was a grievous error to deny (her) clemency.”
Supporters are tweeting prayers and appeals for clemency under #kellyonmymind. This story will be updated as news unfolds.
Photo: Kelly Gissendaner, via twitter.com