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Kelly Gissendaner: Georgia Woman Executed Amid Ongoing Controversy

By Jennifer Deutschmann
Published on: 04:02 PST, Sep 30, 2015

Kelly Gissendaner was executed by lethal injection at 12:21 a.m. on Wednesday. In 1998, the Georgia woman was convicted and sentenced to death in the 1997 murder of her husband, Douglas. Although the circumstances surrounding Douglas’ death remain a point of controversy, the 47-year-old woman’s appeals were denied.

According to reports, Gissendaner did not physically harm her husband. However, she is accused of convincing her lover, Gregory Owen, to commit the heinous crime. Authorities believe she wanted Douglas dead so she could collect $20,000 in life insurance.

On the evening of February 7, 1997, Kelly Gissendaner reportedly drove Owen to the home she shared with her husband. She then left to spend time with friends in an attempt to secure an alibi.

As reported by Murderpedia, Owen entered the home and threatened his lover’s husband with a knife. He then forced his victim to drive him to a remote location.

In a wooded area near Gwinnett, Gregory Owen beat and stabbed Douglas Gissendaner to death. According to reports, Kelly Gissendaner eventually joined Owen at the scene, where she helped him destroy evidence of the crime.

Although the couple was eventually arrested and charged with murder, neither Owen nor Gissendaner were willing to take responsibility for Douglas’ brutal death. Gregory Owen claims Kelly Gissendaner persuaded him to kill her husband and orchestrated the evening in question.

In exchange for a guilty plea and his testimony against his former lover, Owen avoided the death penalty. Instead, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison without the possibility of parole.

Kelly Gissendaner claims she had no prior knowledge of Gregory Owens’ plan to kill her husband. Although she admits she and Douglas had a “rocky relationship,” she insists she did not want him dead.

On the evening in question, Kelly claims she was aware Owen had beaten her husband. However, she said she not aware Douglas was dead until later that evening.

Although she denied any knowledge or involvement in her husband’s death, Kelly was convicted of murder and sentenced to death.

In the years following her conviction, Kelly’s attorneys filed numerous appeals. As reported by CNN, the inmate’s execution was postponed on several occasions.

Although she was originally scheduled to die on February 25, 2015, the execution was delayed due to inclement weather. Less than one week later, the execution was further delayed due to the controversy surrounding drugs used for lethal injections.

Amid the postponement, Kelly’s attorneys, family, and supporters continued to plead for her life.

A petition, which contained an estimated 90,000 signatures, urged Governor Nathan Deal to stay the inmate’s execution. Kelly’s children took their plea directly to the parole board. Even Pope Francis contacted the board in an attempt to spare Kelly Gissendaner’s life.

Douglas Gissendaner’s family, however, did not have any sympathy for his accused killer. In an official statement, the family expressed their disdain for Kelly and their support for her sentence.

“Kelly planned and executed Doug’s murder. She targeted him and his death was intentional… after hearing the facts of this case, a jury of her peers sentenced her to death… As the murderer, she’s been given more rights and opportunity over the last 18 years than she ever afforded to Doug… She had no mercy, gave him no rights, no choices, nor the opportunity to live his life. His life was not hers to take.”

Although she had an impressive number of supporters, Kelly Gissendaner’s execution was eventually rescheduled for September 28 at 7 p.m. A final appeal did delay her death by several hours. However, the inmate was executed on September 30 at 12:21 a.m.

Kelly Gissendaner’s execution will likely remain a point of heated controversy, as she did not physically cause her husband’s death. However, a jury of her peers, and the state, determined she was in fact responsible for Douglas’ murder.

[Image via Gannett]

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