Mississippi
MS inmate Richard Jordan denied relief in execution drug appeal day before execution set
Executions in Mississippi: What to know
A look at the process of determining when and how a prisoner on death row in Mississippi should be executed.
Mississippi prisoner Richard Gerald Jordan was dealt another blow in his last-minute effort to stop his execution, set for Wednesday, June 25.
On Tuesday afternoon, June 24, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate’s ruling on Jordan’s petition for a preliminary injunction to protest the state’s three-drug protocol for lethal injection executions.
Jordan was convicted in 1977 for the 1976 kidnapping and murder of Edwina Marter.
At 79, Jordan is the oldest and longest-serving prisoner on Mississippi’s death row.
The appellate judges said in their opinion that Jordan did not meet his burden of proof that he would be subject to needless pain and suffering after the administration of the first drug, midazolam, a sedative.
“The court found that Jordan offered no evidence that the two prisoners recently executed under this protocol suffered any pain,” the Fifth Circuit court wrote in its opinion.
The court referred to the Mississippi executions of David Cox in 2021 and Thomas Loden in 2022.
The Fifth Circuit judges also said at this point, the execution would be the only just conclusion to the case.
“Jordan has enjoyed repeated review of his claims in the Mississippi courts, the district court, this court, and the Supreme Court — for nearly 50 years,” the court said, quoting from a 1998 California case, Calderon v. Thompson. “At this point, ‘finality acquires an added moral dimension. Only with an assurance of real finality can the State execute its moral judgment in a case.
“Only with real finality can the victims of crime move forward knowing the moral judgment will be carried out.’”
Also on Tuesday, Gov. Tate Reeves denied clemency to Jordan.
“The governor has reviewed the clemency petition and met with his counsel to discuss the request and the facts of this case,” Reeves’ Deputy Chief of Staff Cory Custer said in a statement. “By his own admission, Richard Jordan is guilty of kidnapping for ransom Mrs. Edwina Marter at gunpoint from her home where her three-year-old son was sleeping, forcing her to drive into the Desoto National Forest and shooting her in the back of the head.
“Following this premeditated and heinous act, Mr. Jordan demanded and was paid a $25,000 ransom prior to being apprehended by law enforcement. He has been convicted by multiple juries of capital murder and sentenced to death. His most recent round of appeals and stay motions have been considered and rejected by the United States Supreme Court, the Mississippi Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the Unted States District Court.
“At this time, all necessary procedures are being followed with the anticipation that the execution will proceed as scheduled.”
Earlier Tuesday, Amnesty International sent a statement to media outlets, asking Reeves to grant Jordan’s request for clemency.
“Governor Tate Reeves is the only person with the power to spare Jordan’s life,” Amnesty International USA’s Deputy Director of Research Justin Mazzola said in the statement. “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.
“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.”
Jordan has one option left in an emergency stay of execution filed with the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday.
Lici Beveridge is a reporter for the Hattiesburg American and Clarion Ledger. Contact her at lbeveridge@gannett.com. Follow her on X @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/licibeveridge.
Mississippi
Couple sentenced for selling faulty fire extinguishers to Mississippi daycares, businesses – SuperTalk Mississippi
The Smith County couple who knowingly sold faulty fire alarms to daycares and other commercial businesses across the state will spend time behind bars.
Daniel and Sherri Finnegan, the owners of Finnegan Fire Safety Equipment, entered guilty pleas on Tuesday in connection with the fraud scheme. Daniel Finnegan will spend seven years in prison, while his spouse will be locked up for one year. Officials report that the plea agreements encompass charges filed in both Rankin and Madison counties, where 12 charges have been filed against each defendant stemming from six different cases.
The Finnegans were arrested in Aug. 2024 for selling and installing used fire suppression systems that did not work and were not tested before being placed into service, putting people at risk in the event of fire. The Mississippi Insurance Department reported that the couple targeted minority-owned businesses and owners who had a language barrier.
Originally, the duo was charged with 41 counts each of false pretense, along with 37 counts each of violations of the Mississippi Fire Prevention Code. Despite the pleas entered in Rankin and Madison Counties, the defendants still face an additional 31 fire prevention code violations and 37 false pretense charges that remain pending in 11 other counties.
“The investigation showed that more than $343,000 was paid directly to the couple by confirmed victims. It is important to note that this figure does not represent the full financial impact, as some financial documentation could not be obtained,” a statement from the Mississippi Insurance Department reads. “Furthermore, many victims incurred substantial additional costs to correct and remediate deficient installations and to bring fire protection systems into compliance.”
Restitution ordered for Daniel Finnegan totals $67,853.95, while Sherri Finnegan has to pay out $20,000.
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USA Today Network
A former federal attorney was arrested and charged with arson after a building and dumpster were set on fire Friday, Feb. 27, in the Fondren area of Jackson, authorities said.
Jackson Fire Department Chief of Investigations Charles Felton said firefighters responded around 12 a.m. Friday in reference to a reported building fire and dumpster fire at Yana Club of Mississippi located at 555 Hartsfield Street.
Felton said fire crews arrived and found two separate fires in the Fondren neighborhood that caused damage to the Yana Club and the dumpster.
No injuries were reported.
After the fires were extinguished, a fire investigator was called to the scene. Investigators spoke with Capitol Police, who had a suspect detained.
Felton said the Jackson Fire Department Arson Division arrested George McDowell Yoder III, a former federal attorney, and charged him with first-degree arson of Yana Club and third-degree arson of the dumpster.
In 2021, WDAM TV reported Yoder had been a special assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi from 2009 to 2011. Yoder also ran unsuccessfully as a candidate for the Mississippi Court of Appeals in 2016.
According to a 2023 article by the Laurel Leader Call, Yoder was arrested in 2021 for residential burglary and faced multiple charges from 2021 to 2023. Yoder was also arrested in 2023 for arson charges, the outlet reported.
Documents from the Supreme Court of Mississippi also indicate that Yoder was admitted to the practice of law in the state in 1999 but later suspended in 2022 from practicing law for three years.
Court records show Yoder was found to be accepting fees from clients, abandoning them and then failing to deposit their retainers into a trust account. Yoder “commingled” his personal money with those of his clients and performed little to no work on a Madison County criminal case he was hired to resolve.
Jackson fire officials also said that a fire did not occur Friday morning at The Pig & Pint, a barbecue business located next to Yana Club.
Yana Club of Mississippi, a nonprofit organization, is described via their Facebook page as a “recovery community” that serves individuals seeking help with addictions.
The organization confirmed at 10:23 a.m. Friday via a social media post that the Yana Club building will be closed due to damages sustained from the fire.
“Due to the safety of our members, we will be closed through the weekend,” the organization stated. “We are working with [the] fire department and insurance to determine the best course of action. The building is currently deemed unsafe for meetings to be held. We will be in touch with updates when we have them.”
Pam Dankins is the breaking news reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Have a tip? Email her at pdankins@gannett.com.
LAUREL, Miss. (WDAM) – A world-renowned dance instructor from New York visited Laurel Thursday to conduct a special class and do some recruiting for a prestigious summer dance program in the Big Apple.
Melanie Person, who is co-director of the Ailey School in New York, taught a master ballet class Thursday morning at Laurel Middle School.
It’s part of a three-day residency in the Magnolia State, organized by the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience in Meridian.
She’ll teach two other classes Friday in Meridian before hosting an audition Saturday for a prestigious summer dance program at the Ailey School.
“I typically tour in about six to eight cities in the U.S., and I recruit dancers to come to our summer intensive, so part of this weekend, in one of the classes, I will be accepting students to come to New York for our five-week summer intensive,” Person said.
“We accept the dancers we like, and we see if they are able to come. The decision to come to New York for the summer is a big undertaking for families, so we just hope that they can do it.”
Registration is required for that audition, which will be held at the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience.
To do that, click HERE.
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