Richard Gerald Jordan’s execution after 48 years on death row concluded with chilling final words. Read about the haunting execution and the long road to justice for the Marter family.
On June 25, 2025, Mississippi’s longest-serving death row inmate, Richard Gerald Jordan, was executed after nearly five decades of appeals, delays, and lawsuits. At 79, the Vietnam veteran was put to death for the brutal 1976 killing of Edwina Marter, a mother of two.
A Cold-Blooded Crime
The crime that led to Jordan’s death sentence began on January 1976, when Jordan, posing as an electrician, kidnapped 37-year-old Edwina Marter from her Gulfport home. Holding her at gunpoint, he forced her into his vehicle and drove her deep into DeSoto National Forest, where he shot her in the back of the head when she tried to escape.
After her death, Jordan made a chilling phone call to her husband, demanding a ransom of $25,000 and falsely claiming Edwina was still alive. Jordan was arrested the following day in a hotel in Mobile, Alabama.
What does family of Mississippi murder victim say about killer's looming execution date? https://t.co/PScqEck6ko
— Clarion Ledger (@clarionledger) June 17, 2025
A Long Road to Justice
Jordan’s death sentence was handed down in 1977, but his legal battles continued for decades. Despite receiving multiple death sentences in 1977, 1983, and 1998, Jordan filed appeals for nearly 50 years, including a lawsuit challenging the state’s lethal injection method. Ultimately, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear his final appeal earlier this year, signaling that the end had finally come for Jordan.
Final Words
As Jordan was prepared for execution, he was asked for his last words. In front of an audience that included both his wife and Edwina Marter’s family, Jordan expressed gratitude for the “humane way” the execution was carried out. He apologized to the Marter family, thanked his lawyer and wife, and said, “I love you all very much. I will see you on the other side, all of you.”
Moments before his death at 6:16 p.m., Jordan lay on the gurney, breathing deeply with his mouth slightly ajar.
Mississippi has executed the longest-serving man on its death row nearly 50 years after he was convicted of murder. https://t.co/j9BrlHl6GB
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 25, 2025
Marter Family’s Reaction
After the execution, Keith Degruy, a family member, read a statement from Edwina Marter’s husband and two sons. The family expressed relief, but also anger and frustration over the long delay in justice.
“She had to suffer while he dragged her around but knew she probably wouldn’t live through it,” Degruy said. “Why should he get to live in prison and die of natural causes? We feel that he should have to endure the suffering of knowing his death was only hours away just like Edwina had to endure.”
The family also expressed that no amount of punishment could ever bring back their loved one. “Nothing will bring back our mom, sister, and our friend. Nothing can ever change what Jordan took from us 49 years ago,” they said.
For the Marter family, after nearly five decades, the chapter of Jordan’s reign on death row has finally closed. His final words, chilling as they were, marked the end of a long and painful journey for the family, although it will never erase the sorrow left behind by his actions.
