Man on death row for nearly 50 years dies by lethal injection as US state executions rise
A man who was on death row for nearly half a century has been executed in Mississippi.
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Richard Gerald Jordan died by lethal injection on Wednesday aged 79 after spending almost 50 years in prison.
The longest-serving man on death row in Mississippi was jailed for kidnapping and killing Edwina Marter, a stay-at-home mum and a banker's wife, in a ransom scheme.
Jordan sued the state over its three-drug execution policy, saying it was inhumane.
He was given an opportunity to make a final statement.
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Jordan said: "First I would like to thank everyone for a humane way of doing this. I want to apologise to the victim's family."
His wife Marsha and his lawyer Krissy Nobile were reportedly present at the execution.
The Vietnam war veteran thanked them both and pleaded for their forgiveness.
He said in his final words: "I will see you on the other side, all of you."
His death marks the third execution in Mississippi in the last 10 years. The previous one took place in December 2022.
It came just one day after a death row inmate was put to death in Florida. Thomas Lee Gudinas, 51, had been convicted in May 1994 of killing Michelle McGrath.
There appears to be a trend in the growing use of capital punishment in the US, with state executions increasing since January.
Four executions have been carried out this month alone in the US, in Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma and South Carolina.
A total of 25 men have been executed this year, with scheduled killings set to make 2025 the most prolific year for state executions since 2015.
It comes after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order which ruled that "capital punishment is an essential tool for deterring and punishing those who would commit the most heinous crimes."
Experts have previously warned that Trump's pro-death penalty stance could result in more executions at a state level.
Yasmin Cader, a deputy legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), told CNN: "His rhetoric can and has spurred draconian measures and attitudes by leaders in states on several issues, including in the context of the criminal legal system."
During his presidential campaign, Trump vowed to expand the death penalty to child rapists, criminals involved in drugs or human-trafficking cases, and migrants who murder US citizens or police officers.
This faced backlash from civil rights groups, including the ACLU, which warned that Trump's "chilling" plans would equal the "killing spree he initiated in the final six months of his first presidency".
"He's already shown us that he will act on these promises," it added in a statement.