Ahead of the State of Mississippi’s scheduled June 25, 2025 execution of 79-year-old Richard Jordan, Amnesty International USA’s Deputy Director of Research Justin Mazzola said:
“The State of Mississippi must not execute Richard Jordan. Governor Tate Reeves is the only person with the power to spare Jordan’s life. He must use this power to halt this execution, commute Richard Jordan’s sentence and work towards ending the death penalty in Mississippi more broadly.
“Richard Jordan’s death sentence has been reversed three times for constitutional errors, as well as due to Jordan’s good behavior and positive influence in prison, his remorse about the crime and his military service in Vietnam. However, there is strong evidence that his eventual, fourth death sentence was driven by unconstitutional statements made at trial by a vindictive prosecutor.
“Further, Richard Jordan never had an independent mental health expert to assist with his defense, as required by federal law. Instead, before his 1998 resentencing, the judge assigned a state-employed psychiatrist who was not experienced in combat-related PTSD and had little experience with combat veterans. That psychiatrist misdiagnosed Jordan’s disorder. It wasn’t until 2022 that Jordan received a proper evaluation, which concluded that he did and still has combat-related PTSD. No jury has heard this evidence.
“Regardless of the specifics of Richard Jordan’s case, the death penalty is wrong in all cases because it violates the right to life and is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. Governor Reeves must act to stop this execution.”
Background
Richard Jordan was convicted of the abduction and murder of Edwina Marter in January 1976.
In June 2025, Amnesty International issued an Urgent Action, asking Governor Reeves to stop the execution.
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases and under any circumstances, regardless of the nature of the crime, the characteristics of the offender or the method used by the state to carry out the execution.
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