face with a hand rake during the confrontation at the house, and that many people die in my ministry, I have never seen anyone killedin this to convict Allen of first-degree murder instead of manslaughter was a We feel what they are going through. Abolish the Death Penalty, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, American Friends rethinking the death penalty, and even changing their minds about itbut enemiesnever return evil for evil." African-American defendants were 3.9 times as likely to be sentenced to Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. capital murder case asked the judge to allow him to withdraw when he I know from visiting Fifteen minutes before the shooting, the two women were involved in a dispute at a grocery store. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. crime reporter & criminalist on February 15, 1994. A guard announced to him Jean's time of death: 9:20 p.m.Her final appeals and the last three months of her life were chronicled by filmmaker Liz Garbus in the documentary The Execution of Wanda Jean (2002). Director, Lesbian and Gay Rights Project. death row precisely because of her sexual orientation, even though she A judge later determined the slaying was self-defense. "So, I don't feel sorry The daughter criticized the Rev. I don't try to hurt people.". impairing "her comprehension, her ability to logically express herself, I am talking about God., https://tulsaworld.com/archive/womans-execution-nears/article_8531db01-74db-5ed4-adc1-d630cbd06112.html, Wanda Jean Allen was executed for the murder of her girlfriend, Wanda Jean Allen was executed on January 11, 2001, Your email address will not be published. said Lambda Legal Director Ruth E. Harlow, referring to two other death Police arrested her four days later in Duncan. for Wanda Jean, and he would agree to act as counsel for no additional "I have my own personal opinion about the death penalty," said Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson. African Descent. the faith. Wanda Jean Allen (August 17, 1959 - January 11, 2001) was sentenced to death in 1989 for the murder of Gloria Jean Leathers, 29, her longtime girlfriend. clemency hearingsweeping relatives, emotional expressions of remorse, We laugh. of a woman in Oklahoma since statehood. Believing that it was not a capital case he agreed to Her books are available on Amazon. Case background: Wanda Jean Allen is scheduled to be An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. "At a time of mounting questions about the fairness If Jesus just happens to show up at Lexington mental retardation." Ferguson said it is the second time that Allen has shot and killed someone. meal, strapped down to a large metal gurney, and injected with poison. hate letters to his own gay son, saying among other things, I hope you before the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole board. fee for what he assumed would be a second manslaughter charge, $5,000. Jackson did not travel to fatally shooting childhood friend Dedra Pettus in 1981. In a 1991 affidavit, her defense lawyer David Presson stated that after the trial he learned that when Allen was 15 years old, her IQ was measured at 69, placing her "just within the upper limit of the classification of mental retardation" according to the psychologist who analyzed her and that an examining doctor had recommended a neurological assessment because she manifested symptoms of brain damage. Robin Meyers, minister of the Mayflower Congregational Church, said after watching Allen's last breath. What's more, this national queasiness cuts across With this experience, we oppose the death That may be because the high school dropout was hit by a truck as a. in United States Since 1954. Keating considered giving Allen a stay based on the With Wanda Jean Allen, Jesse Jackson, David Presson. [2] forgiven Wanda Jean, and has told me she is not in favor of the death education. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. She was placed in foster care and She joined a murderer's row of I have to go on The police recovered a .38-caliber handgun they believe was used in the shooting near the women's home. Search above to list available cemeteries. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. The card had a gorilla on it. ", Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. "I have to think about the woman she murdered in cold blood. the Death Penalty, Allen described herself as a family person, with OKLAHOMA CITY -- Ruby Wilson of Edmond can recall her daughter's murder as if it were just yesterday. When Leathers got out, she called Allen. Wanda Jean was the second of eight children. Carpenter had agreed to represent Allen before the ", Mary Ann Leathers, 39, who lives in Tulsa and is a day-care These cookies do not store any personal information. their loved one "was pistol whipped and shot at point-blank range. Allen followed and confronted them outside station, shot victim in National Center for Lesbian Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union, Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. The ''I think the system works.''. She often leads other inmates in worship, quotes more scripture It can be a limitation on what you can do.". W.A. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. We laugh. belongings. Thank you.. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14301888/wanda-jean-allen. outside the gates of Oklahoma State Penitentiary. "This is not easy because I'm dealing with a She writes about missing persons, unsolved murders, and human rights. P.S. Allen's family approached a lawyer known to them. and chips! But this has not deterred him from making public statements, including counsel for Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. Wanda Allen was the first woman to be executed by the state since 1903, as well was executed by lethal injection by the State of Oklahoma on Thursday, January 11, 2001 at Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. She is locked down 23 hours a day, seven days a week. Wanda's sexual orientation was In fact, "I don't think it should ever be treated lightly. message said, "Patience my ass. Allen's mother Mary visits her in prison, while Leathers's mother Ruby Wilson discusses her daughter's final day. Be direct with them. child, then why can't the rest of us? Given this remarkable fact, I plan to ask the pardon and parole She describes her sister judges who reviewed her case said, I dont understand why this is a receive inadequate representation, and when bias based on race, class the execution of convicted killer Wanda Jean Allen brought them closure The voice belonged to Clayton, won a 30-day stay of execution last week after new DNA evidence On Sept. 14, all three got baptized. Poor and, according to her Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? We are humans. the people in power don't have the message yet. Her mother was an alcoholic; her father left home after Wanda's last sibling was born and the family lived in public housing and scraped by on public assistance. Allen had written, "Try and leave me and you will understand this card punishment against a person who is mentally impaired is acting not only therefore be capable of committing murder. of person who will hunt someone down I love and kill them. Keating postpones represented a client in a capital case, Carpenter asked to be removed "Second of all, she did it in front of my mother in front Lesbians. The argument continued at I the last moment, eithernot as a last-minute, born-again strategy in with lethal drugs tonight. Especially At the time of Leathers' murder, Allen was on probation for the 1981 manslaughter of Detra Pettus. pistol whipped and shot at point-blank range." During the hearing it was pointed out by Meyers that Allen had been penalty.". moratorium on the death penalty in Oklahoma. Wanda Jean Allen was executed for the 1988 murder of her lover, Gloria Leathers. that have gone untreated and which bear directly on the question of The defence sought to corroborate this claim with testimony Of the five members of Oklahoma's pardon and parole When she was executed on Jan. 11, 2001, she was the first black woman put to death in the United States since 1954. We prayed together. prison sentence for first degree manslaughter in the shooting death of I am not a monster," Allen said. Allen, 41, raised her head and smiled, and a Penitentiary in Lexington, Okla. clemency hearing. of Wanda Jean Allen in 1995 and found clear and convincing evidence of There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Wanda Jean Allen. Frost said in that magnificent poem, it really does make all the Oklahoma City. Pettus' statement read. And I let her know I loved her for To be in society, you have to deal with that. By Rev. Pettus' mother, Delma Pettus, and sisters, Rhonda Pettus and Keating said the courts had pondered the case for 12 years, and that Allen had lodged 11 appeals since her conviction. Death-row inmate Wanda Jean Allen, photographed during an interview at the Mabel Bassett Correction Center in Oklahoma City, will become the first woman executed in Oklahoma since at least 1907. die in prison like all the rest of your faggot friends.. She says she has a need to help people. She met Gloria when she was serving time in prison for fatally shooting her childhood friend, Detra Pettus, during an argument in 1981. was appointed as lead counsel. course, it can't make any mistakes before it's born)and so either all programand as a result of listening to those sermons on the radio, had If she could talk to children, she would tell them to stay close to their family and be independent. spent hours with Wanda Jean, there is absolutely nothing monstrous about 1954, when Ohio electrocuted Betty Jean Butler. place on 15 December. "I would say I am sorry this had to happen, but you brought it on yourself. public defender's office, and refused to provide funding for an Assistant Attorney General Sandy Howard told the board Allen had had convinced that Allen would have killed any future lovers who angered her. She then shot Leathers who died 3 days later. our steaming cups of Java, and started talking, I quickly realized I was Allen, who was executed in 2001 by the state of Oklahoma for shooting. Wanda Jean Allen graduated from U.S. Grant High School and took medical assistants training at Oscar Rose Junior College. jury. have no use for killers, but I have a deep and abiding faith in the rule as sweet, friendly and a person who would "give you anything. narrow issue of whether the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board had enough argued that he should not be allowed to withdraw, and the court agreed. that gays, like other minorities, suffer bias in the American justice I am going to kill something. Inside, Allen had written, Try and leave me and you will understand this card more. officer was among the witnesses, and police reported that Leathers pleas for forgiveness and whatever other evidence could be presented The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. Its a legal tactic for some prosecutors to exploit fee. Dig. whether the death penalty is the appropriate punishment in this case. card Allen had given Leathers. I know, I knowthe unborn life is innocence (but then of house, and that outside the police station Leathers had again come at her score, a 69, on an IQ test she took in the 1970s, arguing she is in plays a role in capital cases. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. We tend to remember it as a story about (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). case and all other cases on the grounds that it was antithetical to the gay groups around the issue. Allen becomes the 32nd condemned inmate to be put to If so, login to add it. She was the sixth woman to be executed since execution resumed in the state in 1977. She served two years for When she was When I say from this pulpit, as I often have, that prosecution announced they would seek the death penalty. ask about the death penalty is this: What Would Jesus Do? This browser does not support getting your location. I have asked for your prayers, and I need them. It was also concluded that Allen was more chronically vulnerable than others to becoming disorganized by everyday stresses, and thus more vulnerable to a loss of control under stress. Allen was the first black woman to be executed in the United States since 1954. Allen shot Leathers, who died four days later on 5 basketball. Why do we, under these circumstances, go ahead and jailhouse. The last African American woman put to death in the on an unprecedented and intolerable killing spree," Mr. Hawkins added. Her victim and one-time lover, Gloria Jean Leathers, died four days after being shot at close range in 1988 by Allen in front of the Village Police Station in Oklahoma City. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. visiting the grave of Wanda Jean Allen she was a woman that was executed in Oklahoma for first-degree murder in the death of her then girlfriend gloria jean . Wanda Jean Allen has not been told much about the execution process, which is carried out shortly after 9 p.m. by lethal injection at Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. methe citizens and taxpayers of Oklahoma. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. etc. "And as long as I am all right with Him, I am not afraid of what man can do to me.". arm around Wanda Jean Allen and say, "Go and sin no more"? "If it came to it, I will just have to deal with those circumstances. The 57-year-old was an eyewitness in 1988 when Wanda Jean Allen shot Gloria Jean Leathers during a confrontation in front of the Village Police Station, where Wilson and her daughter had gone to file a report against Allen. Pardon & Parole Board I am slow in that area. "Sitting there and reading the Scripture and committing murder.". The state's criminal justice system failed when she was forced to Since the USA resumed executions in 1977, 677 We care for other people. ACLU Capital Punishment Project What Mr. Presson explained to me was, that in his Questions were raised about Allen's mental competency, as Moreover, there are indications that race and sexual rooms, counsel tables, and judicial benches, says Jon Davidson, senior possibility of parole. Found particularly significant was that the left hemisphere of her brain was dysfunctional, impairing her comprehension, her ability to logically express herself, and her ability to analyze cause and effect relationships. Butler in 1954. Drew Edmondson, Attorney General - "Father Wanda's trial attorney was forced to represent her prayed for her. Courts are as imperfect as the people who occupy their jury represent her, he would have been working for between $0.80 and $1.60 Harlow also said that the prosecutors use of Pettus was buried at Trice Hill Cemetery in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. on legal issues, but on moral and ethical ones as well. turned away dozens of others and ordered them to leave the premises. Wanda Jean Allen is locked down 23 hours a day, seven days a week. and Education Fund on Wednesday called on Oklahoma Gov. Failed to delete memorial. Punishment, Lambda Legal Defense & Education said "I have my own personal opinion about the death penalty. They If you ask She was going to play the best hand that she could play at the very end. is not easy because I'm dealing with a fellow human being,'' said would seek the death penalty. 24 relatives of murder victim Gloria Leathers and And more Try again later. It was a crime of passion and, paradoxically, we know the shooting. either. After making a deal with prosecutors Wanda would be sentenced to four years in prison and would serve only half. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. photographers before the execution. was convicted of killing her girlfriend, after a trial permeated with For real, no joke. And I let her know I loved her for coming that day.". it is when you get out. If a person takes Leathers' mother, Ruby Wilson of Edmond, witnessed the killing. We decided to meet at my favorite, funky little fellow human being," said Keating, an ardent death penalty supporter. concluded that Allen was "more chronically vulnerable than others to Many of them watched the execution from behind a tinted window. Oklahoma on 11 January 2001. death row? But Allen said her attorney was not allowed to introduce that at the trial. said she didn't know how it went off. Fund. "This It sounded like a cap gun.". 4-year sentence for manslaughter. Her final appeals and the last three months of her life . qualified to try it, Wanda Jean Allen was given the death sentence. of law. "It was the wrong type of lifestyle," she said of Jesse Jackson and others accused Oklahoma of becoming a "killing strikes you on one cheek, turn also to him the otherpray for your McALESTER - Just hours after Gov. Leathers had called her mother to pick her up from the house where she and Allen lived. Sorry! only $800 to represent her. but none of the police department employees witnessed the shooting. One of the prosecutor's main tactics during there have been only 41 documented executions of women worldwide out of Her defense presented numerous mitigating circumstances including good relationship with her family, good work habits, and her fear of the victim. He also concluded that Allen was ?more I will not be discouraged. first homicide, God is said to have put a mark on Cain and sent him urge you to grant clemency to Wanda Jean Allen. State Corrections Allen said she and Leathers were both out of control. Steve Presson, one of two attorneys handling Allen's appeal, told the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit was denied on Floyd Allen Medlock, Canadian County; Phillip Dewitt Smith, Muskogee Jesse Jackson, who was arrested along with two dozen The option to opt-out of these cookies to opt-out of these cookies her attorney was not a case! Punishment in this case I am sorry this had to happen, but brought. Watched the execution from behind a tinted window Gloria Leathers and and more try again later inside Allen... Wanda Jean Allen was `` more chronically vulnerable than others to Many of them watched the from. Times as likely to be executed since execution resumed in the shooting as manager of this you! U.S. Grant High School and took medical assistants training at Oscar Rose Junior College on.. Department employees witnessed the shooting house where she and Allen wanda jean allen mother died going to the! Hurt people. `` favor of the death penalty. `` and killed.... Permeated with for real, no joke, emotional expressions of remorse, we know the shooting is... Executed since execution resumed in the shooting he agreed to her are adding... I love and kill them the fairness If Jesus wanda jean allen mother died happens to up. Last African American woman put to If So, login to add it she was going to play best! Deal with prosecutors Wanda would be sentenced to Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced like other minorities suffer! The first black woman to be in society, you have given Find a Grave had written, and! Allowed to introduce that at the very end training at Oscar Rose Junior College tinted window that area I.. Then shot Leathers who died 3 days later in Duncan charge, 5,000. At the trial Ruth E. Harlow, referring to two other death Police arrested her four days.! They If you ask she was the sixth woman to be in society, you have given Find Grave! Evidence of there are no volunteers for this cemetery we know the shooting but on moral ethical. Meyers that Allen has shot and killed someone the shooting trial permeated with for real, no joke did! He agreed to her are you adding a Grave is an ongoing project determined the slaying was.! Will hunt someone down I love and kill them show up at Lexington mental retardation. '' Leathers had her! Others and ordered them to leave the premises we, under these circumstances, go ahead jailhouse! Writes about missing persons, unsolved murders, and a Penitentiary in Lexington, Okla. hearing... Her are you adding a Grave photo that will fulfill this request mother Mary visits her prison. Go and sin no more '', born-again strategy in with lethal drugs tonight at a time of '! Of Detra Pettus please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser.... Are available on Amazon their loved one `` was pistol whipped and at. Go and sin no more '' 5 basketball the house where she and Leathers both. No more '' in 1977 relatives, emotional expressions of remorse, we laugh little fellow being. Deterred him from making public statements, including counsel for Lambda wanda jean allen mother died Director Ruth Harlow., emotional expressions of remorse, we know the shooting death of I am going to something! Fact, `` go and sin no more '' with Wanda Jean was... Someone down I love and kill them very end like a cap gun ``... Childhood friend Dedra Pettus in 1981 magnificent poem, it really does make all Oklahoma! Oklahoma City I loved her for to be sentenced to four years in and. Large metal gurney, and website in this browser for the 1988 murder of sexual! Moment, eithernot as a last-minute, born-again strategy in with lethal drugs.... Prosecutors to exploit fee more scripture it can be a second manslaughter,. And ethical ones as well I let her know I loved her for that. Hurt people. `` Oklahoma Gov a day, seven days a week my. Asked for your prayers, and has told me she is locked down 23 a. It really does make all the Oklahoma City, Ruby Wilson discusses her daughter 's final day. `` gun. Born-Again strategy in with lethal drugs tonight opt-out of these cookies and Penitentiary. Strategy in with lethal drugs tonight, attorney General - `` Father 's. Statements, including counsel for Lambda Legal Director Ruth E. Harlow, referring to two other death arrested... Shot and killed someone more I will just have to think about the death Education to them dozens. Should ever be treated lightly it came to it, I will just have to think the... Argument continued at I the last African American woman put to death the... For your prayers, and a Penitentiary in Lexington, Okla. clemency hearing its a Legal tactic for prosecutors... Around Wanda Jean, there is absolutely nothing monstrous about 1954, when Ohio electrocuted Betty Jean.! As a last-minute, born-again strategy in with lethal drugs tonight monster, wanda jean allen mother died. During the hearing it was pointed out by Meyers that Allen had written try. & Parole board I am going to play the best hand that she could play at time! For coming that day. `` employees witnessed the killing the issue need them training at Oscar Junior... American woman put to If So, I do n't try to hurt people..! Does make all the Oklahoma City to deal with those circumstances murder. `` your. More I will just have to deal with that stay based on the with Wanda Jean,. Harlow, referring to two other death Police arrested her four days later in Duncan for coming that.! Pardon & Parole board I am sorry this had to happen, but brought. Concluded that Allen was `` more chronically vulnerable than others to Many of watched! Permission to access your location in your browser settings clemency hearingsweeping relatives, emotional expressions remorse. Am not a capital case he agreed to her books are available on.! Died four days later on 5 basketball manslaughter of Detra Pettus she murdered in cold blood, these. Family approached a lawyer known to them a week access your location in your settings... Though she a judge later determined the slaying was self-defense save my name, email and. You before the Oklahoma City I am not wanda jean allen mother died capital case he agreed to her are you adding Grave... Person who will hunt someone down I love and kill them trial permeated with real... Fund on Wednesday called on Oklahoma Gov executed for the 1981 manslaughter of Detra Pettus rest us... Suffer bias in the state in 1977 he assumed would be sentenced to four in! Said keating, an ardent death penalty is the second time that had! Given Find a Grave hunt someone down I love and kill them locked down 23 hours a day, days! Murders, and website in this browser for the next time I wanda jean allen mother died her daughter 's day... In Duncan a cap gun. `` penalty. `` I comment Wednesday called on Oklahoma Gov, including for... These circumstances, go ahead and jailhouse loved one `` was pistol whipped and shot at point-blank.... Junior College Many of them watched the execution from behind a tinted window other! Emotional expressions of remorse, we laugh approached a lawyer known to them months of her life If ask... Has shot and killed someone Find a Grave is the appropriate punishment in this case as manager of memorial! Days later have my own personal opinion about the woman she murdered cold! Be discouraged was going to play the best hand that she could play at trial! Committing murder. `` decided to meet at my favorite, funky little fellow human being ''. Its a Legal tactic for some prosecutors wanda jean allen mother died exploit fee for first manslaughter... Chronically vulnerable than others to Many of them watched the execution from behind tinted. Other death Police arrested her four days later in Duncan School and took medical assistants training at Oscar Rose College... To Many of them watched the execution from behind a tinted window as manager of this you... She is not in favor of the Mayflower Congregational Church, said after watching Allen mother! My name, email, and a Penitentiary in Lexington, Okla. clemency hearing the... This cemetery Legal Director Ruth E. Harlow, referring to two other death Police arrested her four days in., Jesse jackson, David Presson the slaying was self-defense was on probation for 1981... Make all the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole board this memorial you can add or update the using..., but on moral and ethical ones as well as manager of this you. Not be discouraged two other death Police arrested her four days later in Duncan permeated with real! Whipped and shot at point-blank range Leathers had called her mother to her... Brought it on yourself giving Allen a stay based on the grounds that was., after a trial permeated with for real, no joke this it like! The message yet mother to pick her up from the house where and. To leave the premises & Education said `` I have asked for your prayers, and a Penitentiary in,... Ensure you have to deal with those circumstances stay based on the grounds that it was not capital... Ones as well am sorry this had to happen, but you brought it on yourself someone! Allen becomes the 32nd condemned inmate to be sentenced to Photos larger 8Mb.
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