Mississippi

MS prisoner Richard Jordan awaits responses from federal court, governor before execution

Published

9 months ago

June 18, 2025

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MS prisoner Richard Jordan awaits responses from federal court, governor before execution

Mississippi death row inmate Richard Jordan’s execution is scheduled for June 25th, amidst legal challenges to the state’s three-drug protocol.
Jordan’s attorneys argue for the use of Pentobarbital, citing its effectiveness and availability due to a Trump-era executive order.
Jordan’s clemency petition and request to meet with Governor Reeves are pending.

The quest to halt the execution of Mississippi prisoner Richard Jordan is speeding up as his execution date nears.

Jordan, at 79 is Mississippi’s oldest prisoner on death row and is the longest-serving. He’s been on death row since 1977, after he was convicted of capital murder in the kidnapping and murder of Edwina Marter, a Gulfport bank executive’s wife and mother of two young sons.

He is scheduled for execution on Wednesday, June 25, at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman.

On Monday, June 16, Attorney General Lynn Fitch sent a letter as promised to U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate in response to a question he posed during a hearing Saturday, June 14, at the Thad Cochran Federal Courthouse in Jackson.

Wingate said Mississippi does not have a protocol in writing for the possibility of a prisoner injected with the sedative Midazolam responding to stimulation during a consciousness test conducted four minutes after the drug is administered.

If a prisoner responds to the consciousness test, the other two parts of the three-drug process of execution should not be given to the person, Jordan’s attorney James Craig said. He pointed out that the consciousness test was administered much sooner than four minutes for prisoners David Cox and Thomas Loden, who were executed in 2021 and 2022, and it is not clear whether they would have responded to pain after the second drug, a paralytic, was administered.

At the Saturday hearing, attorneys from Fitch’s office said the Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Burl Cain would have the option to restart the process, which means giving the prisoner, in this instance, Jordan, another dose of 500 mg of Midazolam and doing another consciousness test or halt the execution.

But Wingate said the protocol wasn’t in writing and asked, before he wrote his opinion, if the state and Jordan would be willing to stop the execution until he could decide what should happen next.

Jordan and his attorneys agreed, but Wilson Minor, representing the state at the hearing, said he did not know if his client would be amenable to calling Judge Wingate in the event the consciousness test failed since there was no written protocol.

In Fitch’s letter to Wingate, filed Monday morning, she said the state indeed has a protocol that says Cain should restart the process. If the consciousness test fails a second time, he should halt the process and the court would decide what happens next. She did not specify which court.

“This is the proper course of action,” Fitch wrote. “The State’s execution protocol, like the ‘gold standard’ Oklahoma execution protocol, gives the Commissioner the discretion to restart the execution, and he should be allowed to exercise that discretion, and all other discretion under the State’s execution protocol.”

The hearing was in response to a lawsuit Jordan and others filed in 2015 challenging the three-drug protocol, saying it violates the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments.

Jordan and his co-plaintiffs say chemical executions using Pentobarbital is more effective and assures a pain-free execution.

Pentobarbital has been in short supply and difficult to obtain since 2021, but on Jan. 20, the first day of President Donald Trump’s first day of his second term, he issued an executive order, Restoring the Death Penalty and Protecting Public Safety, to guarantee states access to the drugs needed to carry out executions.

Craig filed a letter in response to Fitch’s, saying Fitch did not directly answer Wingate’s question, but basicially said Cain should be allowed to exercise sole discretion over the execution process.

“Somewhat buried in this language is the fact that the Commissioner’s answer to the Court’s question is ‘No,’” Craig wrote. “Instead, the Commissioner insists that the MDOC Protocol gives him ‘the discretion to restart the execution, and he should be allowed to exercise that discretion, and all other discretion under the State’s execution protocol.’

“The Court is correctly concerned about the consequences of allowing Commissioner Cain unbridled discretion. Under Mr. Cain, after all, the ‘consciousness check’ language of the MDOC Protocol has been changed three different times: Nov. 12, 2021, Dec. 12, 2022, and May 25, 2025.”

Craig said the 2022 protocol changed the consciousness check to four minutes after the third drug was administered, “despite the fact that the third drug, potassium chloride, ‘interferes with the electrical signals that stimulate the contractions of the heart, inducing cardiac arrest.’ The notion that the consciousness check would be performed after cardiac arrest demonstrates a profound lack of understanding about the reason for the check.”

As of Wednesday evening, June 18, Wingate had not filed his opinion on the matter.

Jordan has a petition for an emergency stay of execution awaiting a decision in the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices had scheduled the matter for conference Wednesday but have not shared the results of their discussion.

Also on Wednesday, the Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood and others against capital punishment held another call for the state to “Stand Down” on the execution of Jordan.

Earlier this week, a petition was sent to Gov. Tate Reeves requesting an in-person interview where Jordan’s representatives could plead for clemency on his behalf.

“Richard Gerald Jordan requests that you commute his death sentence to the lesser penalty of life in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections without parole,” Jordan’s representative Frank D. Rosenblatt wrote on Monday. Mr. Jordan’s representatives also request a fifteen-minute in-person or virtual interview with you. It is the long-standing practice of the Office of the Governor in Mississippi to allow a fifteen to twenty-minute meeting with a death-sentenced inmate’s representatives.”

Reeves had not responded as of Wednesday evening.

On Monday, Eric Marter, the eldest son of Edwina and Charles Marter said neither he nor his father nor his brother Kevin would attend the execution.

Lici Beveridge is a reporter for the Hattiesburg American and the Clarion Ledger. Contact her at lbeveridge@gannett.com. Follow her on X  @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/licibeveridge.

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Mississippi

Carpenter Pole and Piling invests $5M in Mississippi, creating 10 jobs

Published

11 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Carpenter Pole and Piling invests M in Mississippi, creating 10 jobs

Staff
| Mississippi Clarion Ledger

A Mississippi wood products manufacturer is investing nearly $5 million in an expansion.
Carpenter Pole and Piling’s project is expected to create 10 new jobs in Wiggins.
The expansion includes a new treatment plant and an additional 20 acres for storage.
Construction is anticipated to be completed by September 2026.

A wood products manufacturer is set to create new jobs as part of a major expansion.

Carpenter Pole and Piling is investing nearly $5 million into its Wiggins, Mississippi, operation.

The expansion will add 10 new positions and support long-term growth in the region.

“Carpenter Pole and Piling is a true Mississippi success story, and we’re proud to see the company continue investing right here at home,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said.

“This expansion in Stone County is creating new opportunities for hardworking Mississippians while strengthening a company that has long contributed to our state’s economy,” Reeves said. “When Mississippi businesses grow, our communities grow with them, and we remain committed to fostering a business environment where companies can thrive.”

Carpenter Pole and Piling produces utility poles and pilings for marine and foundation use.

The project includes construction of a new treatment plant, investment in a 2,600-cubic-foot autoclave and an alternative treatment option to improve production capacity.

The company is also clearing and preparing an additional 20 acres for a new pole storage yard.

Stone County is also contributing to the project.

The company expects to complete construction by September 2026.

The new roles are expected to be filled by January 2027.

Carpenter Pole and Piling specializes in the production of utility poles. It also manufactures foundation and marine pilings.

The new autoclave will increase production and add an alternative treatment option.

This story was created by business and development writer Ross Reily, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more.

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Mississippi

CBSB: Southern Miss sweeps again, Mississippi State shines in Texas, Ole Miss struggles – SuperTalk Mississippi

Published

24 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

CBSB: Southern Miss sweeps again, Mississippi State shines in Texas, Ole Miss struggles – SuperTalk Mississippi

Southern Miss earned its second consecutive sweep, rounding out a mostly successful weekend of college baseball for Mississippi’s major programs.

The No. 12 Golden Eagles (10-1), fresh off a mercy-rule victory over Alabama, exited a hostile Louisiana Tech environment with three straight wins versus a former conference counterpart. Christian Ostrander’s crew won 8-3 on Friday, cruised to an 11-0 run-rule victory through seven innings on Saturday, and was on the good side of a 6-2 scoreboard in Sunday’s finale.

A three-run bomb by Kyle Morrison in the top of the fourth of Friday’s game put the black and gold up 5-3, and solid pitching carried the team the rest of the way. A six-run top of the fourth of Saturday’s game, in part due to a Matthew Russo 2 RBI single, broke a scoring stalemate and fueled Southern Miss to a win in a shortened matchup. A two-run long ball by Joey Urban in the top of the ninth of Sunday’s battle gave the Golden Eagles a buffer that would not be eclipsed.

Kros Sivley (2-0) was Friday’s winning pitcher after logging a pair of strikeouts in 1.2 innings. Grayden Harris (2-0) got the win on Saturday after fanning five batters and surrendering no runs through six complete innings. Camden Sunstrom (1-0) closed out the finale with the win after striking out two batters and not giving up a hit or a run in the final two frames.

Mississippi State wins two in Texas

The No. 4 Bulldogs (11-1) had a solid weekend in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series. Brian O’Connor’s club handled the weekend test with an 8-4 win over Arizona State, a 15-8 victory over Virginia Tech, and a heartbreaking 8-7 extra-innings loss to No. 1 UCLA.

Mississippi State broke a scoring hiatus on Friday with a strong bottom of the fifth. A Bryce Chance RBI single scored the game’s first run, then a Gehrig Frei homer put the Bulldogs up 4-0. Three insurance runs were added in the next offensive frame, and Mississippi State did not look back. On Saturday, an Ace Reece longball gave the maroon and white a 4-0 lead in the top of the second. Virginia Tech chipped away, cutting the deficit to two runs, until a five-run top of the seventh put things out of reach.

Sunday’s finale was a battle between two teams vying for bragging rights as the nation’s best. The Bruins took an early 3-0 lead, but Mississippi State quickly countered. A two-run bomb by Reed Stallman and an RBI double by Ryder Woodson knotted things up 3-3 in the bottom of the fourth. The Bulldogs added a run in the bottom of the seventh and eighth innings to lead 5-3.

A two-out home run by UCLA’s Roch Cholowsky tied the ballgame in the top of the ninth. Mississippi State, with runners on second and third and no outs in the bottom of the ninth, could not send a runner home. A wild pitch and a 2 RBI triple scored three Bruins in the top of the 10th. Stallman hit his second home run of the day to inch the Bulldogs within one run of their foe, but it was not followed up with more scoring.

Winning pitchers for Mississippi State this weekend were Ryan McPherson (2-0) and Tomas Valincius (3-0), while Ben Davis (0-1) was tabbed with the lone loss.

Ole Miss struggles in neutral-site tournament

In its first set of tests versus power conference opponents, the Rebels (10-2) struggled mightily, dropping two of three outings in the BRUCE BOLT College Classic. Mike Bianco’s club fell to Baylor 6-5 in extra innings on Friday before bouncing back on Saturday in an 8-0 win over Ohio State and suffering a 9-2 loss to Coastal Carolina in Sunday’s finale. Ole Miss was a combined 0-18 at the plate with runners in scoring position in the two losses.

Though the weekend didn’t play to the Rebels’ advantage, a few individual performers stood out. Murray State transfer Dom Decker, who entered his junior campaign without hitting a home run, hit three balls over the outfield wall at the Houston Astros’ Daikin Park. Hunter Elliott had a career-high 11 strikeouts on Friday, while Cade Townsend and Taylor Rabe collectively fanned 16 batters in Saturday’s shutout.

Next up

Southern Miss will play a pair of home midweek games, the first being against Mississippi State on Tuesday at 6 p.m. and the second versus Nicholls on Wednesday at 6 p.m., before hosting North Alabama over the weekend.

Mississippi State will host Lipscomb over the weekend after facing the Golden Eagles.

Ole Miss will host Memphis on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and North Alabama on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., before welcoming Evansville for a weekend series.

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Mississippi

Mississippi State women’s basketball vs LSU, Kim Mulkey score, live updates, start time, TV

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Mississippi State women’s basketball vs LSU, Kim Mulkey score, live updates, start time, TV

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State women’s basketball is playing its final regular season game against No. 6 LSU at Humphrey Coliseum on March 1 (3 p.m., SEC Network).

The Bulldogs (18-11, 5-10 SEC) enter the game on the NCAA Tournament bubble after losing three consecutive games, so an upset win could secure an at-large bid.

The Tigers (25-4, 11-4) and coach Kim Mulkey have won three straight games. Their only losses of the season are to Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Texas and South Carolina.

The Clarion Ledger is bringing you live updates from the game. Follow along.

Watch Mississippi State vs LSU