Overview

• Jordan was convicted in 1976 of kidnapping and murdering Edwina Marter after he demanded $25,000 in ransom and was arrested at the collection point.
• The lethal injection administered at Mississippi State Penitentiary brought to a close four trials and numerous appeals spanning nearly fifty years.
• His legal team contended that untreated PTSD from Vietnam combat shaped his actions but were not permitted an independent psychiatric assessment.
• This execution represents the 25th carried out in the United States in 2025, matching last year’s national total and following seven in Florida.
• President Trump has called for broader use of the death penalty in extreme cases even as 23 states bar capital punishment and three have moratoriums.