GEORGIA EXECUTES WOMAN FOR PERSUADING HER LOVER TO MURDER HER HUSBAND

A single dose of pentobarbital worked flawlessly in putting to death Kelly Renee Gissendaner for the 1997 murder of her husband

In February 1997, Gregory Owen stabbed Kelly Renee Gissendaner’s husband Douglas to death. Owen confessed and told investigators he finally gave in to repeated requests by Gissendaner for him kill her husband, despite his pleas that she get a divorce instead. Owen is serving a life sentence and will become eligible for parole in 2022. Kelly did not fare as well as her lover and was sentenced to death.

The Associated Press reports:

Various courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court denied multiple last-ditch efforts to stop her execution Tuesday, and the parole board stood by its February decision to deny clemency. The board didn't give a reason for the denial, but said it had carefully considered her request for reconsideration.

Gissendaner was previously scheduled for execution Feb. 25, but that was delayed because of a threat of winter weather. Her execution was reset for March 2, but corrections officials postponed that execution "out of an abundance of caution" because the execution drug appeared "cloudy."

The execution was delayed because of a threat of winter weather? Now, that’s the first time I’ve ever heard of an execution delay due to bad weather.

Gissendaner, 47, was executed in Georgia’s execution chamber at the state prison in Jackson and was pronounced dead today at 12:21 a.m. The single dose of pentobarbital worked flawlessly. Kelly sang Amazing Grace during the execution process and also appeared to sing another song before taking several deep breaths, then becoming still.

Gissendaner is the first woman Georgia has put to death in seven decades.

In response to worldwide protests, Douglas Gissendaner's family said in a statement Monday that “As the murderer, she's been given more rights and opportunity over the last 18 years than she ever afforded to Doug who, again, is the victim here. She had no mercy, gave him no rights, no choices, nor the opportunity to live his life.”

More than 100 people braved the rain outside the prison to protest the execution. I hope they got soaking wet!