OUTCOME: Richard Jordan, aged 79, was executed by lethal injection in Mississippi on the evening of 25 June 2025. He was convicted of the murder of a woman committed in January 1976. His death sentence was reversed three times for constitutional errors. Experts concluded that he had combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder from his military service in the Vietnam War. Final appeals to the courts were rejected. The Governor denied clemency.
NO FURTHER ACTION IS REQUESTED. MANY THANKS TO ALL WHO SENT APPEALS.
Richard Jordan, aged 79, is due to be executed in Mississippi on June 25, 2025. He was convicted of the murder of a woman in 1976. His death sentence has been reversed three times for constitutional errors. A strong claim that pursuit of his fourth death sentence was driven by unconstitutional prosecutorial vindictiveness remains unreviewed on the merits. Experts have concluded that Richard Jordan did not receive a competent assessment for combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder for his 1998 resentencing, and that he has had this disorder since his military service in Vietnam. The Governor should commute this death sentence.
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PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: June 25, 2025
Dear Governor,
I urge you to commute the death sentence of 79-year-old Richard Jordan. I do not seek to downplay the seriousness of the crime of which he was convicted or minimize its consequences. The abduction and murder for which he is facing execution on June 25, 2025, was committed in January 1976.
In 1991, after Richard Jordan’s death sentence was overturned for the third time, the prosecutor supported a sentence of life without parole (LWOP). He pointed to Jordan’s good behavior in prison, his efforts to help society, and his military service in Vietnam. The judge accepted this plea deal. But years later, it was discovered that it was not valid under Mississippi law at the time it was agreed. After the LWOP sentence was overturned, the prosecutor chose to seek the death penalty again in 1998.
Under federal law, Richard Jordan was entitled to a mental health expert independent of the prosecution who would assist in his defense. He was never provided with that during his 1998 resentencing. Before he was resentenced, his lawyers asked for a psychiatric evaluation to see if he had PTSD from serving in the Vietnam War in his early 20s. The judge chose a state psychiatrist who had little experience with combat veterans. This doctor did only a brief evaluation and said there was no sign of PTSD. In 2022, a neuropsychologist who specializes in this area said that Richard Jordan was not properly evaluated in 1998. He and another doctor concluded Richard Jordan did and still does have combat-related PTSD. No jury has heard such evidence.
The power of executive clemency can address injustices the judiciary has been unable or unwilling to remedy. I appeal to you to prevent Richard Jordan’s execution and to commute his death sentence.
Yours sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
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