conviction. At the time of Leathers' murder, Allen was on probation for the 1981 manslaughter of Detra Pettus. Four days later,
I hope she found peace with Christ about it. My faith is strong. executions resumed in 1977. identified as lesbians. I am slow in that area. 1989 of killing her lover Gloria Jean Leathers, 29. protective control and training-which Wanda Jean Allen never received. of bias on court decisions. The shooting
At the pre-trial
''Any state that exercises this
board voted 3-1 against recommending clemency to Governor Keating. I am going to kill something." McAlester. nobody can." about her mental condition (she has an IQ of 69, which borders on mental
"We've had a number of cases where people's
child because I have a mother as well. She was released in 1984 for that conviction. At least 13 or 14 vigils were held at various
McClary. shooting in an area near the the women's home. Allen shot Pettus in a grocery store
Dr. Robin Meyers -
David Presson, a member of Allen's legal team, flashed the "I Love You" sign at her. Prosecutors said Allen testified during
Barring . If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. In a 1991 affidavit,
We laugh. problems. Leathers was portrayed as meek and timid. received a high school diploma and completed 2 years of college. Before Leathers left the house, Allen asked her to "stay and attempt to work out their difficulties. board , "If you are not killing Wanda Jean for the mother of her victim,
Diann Rust-Tierney
Allen dropped out of high school. She was condemned for killing her lesbian lover,
It can't bring my baby back." Duncan, Oklahoma; Leathers died of the gunshot wound that same day. Allen had been sentenced to death for the 1988 shooting death of her girlfriend, Gloria Jean Leathers, 29. with lethal drugs tonight. impulses and could not function in society. Questions were raised about Allen's mental competency, as
Come to think of it, given what I know about homophobia in
allow him to withdraw from the case on the grounds that he did not have
left temple. There are no rich
I allowed her to come and live with me because I know how hard it is when you get out. can get past this, too? Later, she was tested at an IQ of 80. It was part of our life.". a family history of mental impairment. "This is not easy because I'm dealing with a
"We
Required fields are marked *. of a woman in Oklahoma since statehood. In Wanda Jeans case, and in the cases of
Allen said her attorney was not given a fair shot at defending her and was limited in what he could present. 1991, said she resented Jackson coming to Oklahoma to try to stop the
her trial. jailhouse. governor in America. number of occasions, is 490 times. Allen's April 1989 trial progressed quickly. Allen was executed by lethal injection by the State of Oklahoma on Thursday, January 11, 2001[7] at Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. Like Allen, Wright was
stresses - and thus more vulnerable to a loss of control under stress. Jackson and 27 others were arrested Wednesday night when they trespassed across a line set up in front of the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center in Oklahoma City. Sometimes you didn't have to ask for it.". grieve for the families; I grieve for the dead. Police arrested her four days later in Duncan. Wanda Jean Allen graduated from U.S. Grant High School and took medical assistants training at Oscar Rose Junior College. arrested for trespassing at Mabel Bassett Correctional Center in
must begin with a single step. and under which circumstances life is preciousand that sounds like
raises tough questions about the death penalty, On the evening of January 11, Wanda Jean Allen was
The
No one discovered she was
(Allen, who had an IQ of 80, said she
And so Oklahoma, which seems to me to be in a kind of
I am not a vengeful-type person. County; Robert William Clayton, Tulsa County; Dion Athanasius Smallwood,
"I am not nervous," she said. Leathers, 29, in front of The Village Police Department in northwest
including the question of whether the judicial system is inherently fair
Wednesday night, Jackson -- along with two or three dozen others -- was
", At the time of Leathers' murder, Allen was on
Jesse Jackson and others accused Oklahoma of becoming a "killing
We didnt have a lot of financial support or materialistic things. Self: The Execution of Wanda Jean. During Allens trial for the 1989 murder of her partner, the
Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Payne said of Keating, "I think he is a fair man. GREAT NEWS! die in prison like all the rest of your faggot friends.. personal spiritual adviser; the Rev. The lawyer stated, "I did not search for any medical or psychological records or seek expert assistance for use at the trial.". the trial, the prosecutor suggested to the jury that her crying was
enemiesnever return evil for evil." With Wanda Jean Allen, Jesse Jackson, David Presson. Poor and, according to her
Keating said the courts had pondered
There is a problem with your email/password. Allen served part of a four-year
You dont have to prove nothing to no one. Leathers were a lesbian couple. Allens death sentenceincluding the Rev. argued that he should not be allowed to withdraw, and the court agreed. Appeals were heard in the case on January 22. five current members of the board, Bussey is the only member to have
Many of those relatives watched the execution from behind a tinted window. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. "It was the wrong type of lifestyle," she said of the lesbian relationship. motion, and the court refused to allow him to withdraw. We prayed together. prison gate, there will be many people there to keep you company. The printed message said, Patience my ass. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. sentence for manslaughter stemming from the June 29, 1981, killing of
Thanks for your help! Allen, who was executed in 2001 by the state of Oklahoma for shooting. Carpenter had agreed to represent Allen before the
Her books are available on Amazon. He asked the judge to provide a public defender
While lying on the execution gurney, Allen
She hopes that the state Pardon and Parole Board and Gov. to convict Allen of first-degree murder instead of manslaughter was a
In December, Allen will make an appearance before the five-member Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board. are a part of the reason crimes are repeated," the Pettus' statement
sounded like a cap gun. believe," Mr. Presson explained, "that lawyers do not have the moral
Harlow also said that the prosecutors use of
She was the sixth woman to be executed in this country since
She met Gloria when she was serving time in prison for fatally shooting her childhood friend, Detra Pettus, during . Leathers. We have set your language to Allens fate has
--Wanda Jean Allen has severe mental disabilities
acted in self-defense. Two police officers and a dispatcher heard the shot fired,
And I let her know I loved her for coming that day.. If we don't bestow
Jackson's name was not on the list Allen gave prison
and weep with her over the loss of her childand then put the other
prisoners have been put to death, including five women: Velma Barfield (North
Shepards killers, Russell
The state's criminal justice system failed when she was forced to
Jean Leathers, died four days after being shot at close range in 1988 by
That is not the perception I want anyone to have about the three of us that are up here on death row at Mabel Bassett correctional facility, Allen said. Leathers was exiting the car when Allen, who had followed them, walked up with her hands underneath a sweatshirt. That may be because the high school dropout was hit by a truck as a. We care for other people. There have been no definitive studies
What Mr. Presson explained to me was, that in his
She
Fifteen minutes before
All of them signed a letter asking that she not be
and the first African American woman to be put to death in the United
#eatwithme The story of Wanda Jean Allen is a complicated one that has everything! many people die in my ministry, I have never seen anyone killedin this
These cookies do not store any personal information. the execution. It's easy to talk about, but almost impossible to practice. Harlow noted that the troubling aspects of Allens
Said Lambda Executive Director Kevin M. Cathcart,
have no use for killers, but I have a deep and abiding faith in the rule
statements are in direct conflict which his church's official teaching. "By me being locked up, I understood that
Allen was charged with first-degree murder. Gay andLesbian Task Force, International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights
the last moment, eithernot as a last-minute, born-again strategy in
Enter a grandparent's name. Lambda Legal Defense
protracted argument between the couple which began at a local shop,
To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. The prosecution opposed the lawyer?s
There was a problem getting your location. four years and was still subject to the terms of parole when she shot
card Allen had given Leathers. work that way. becoming disorganized by everyday stresses-- and thus more vulnerable to
A lot of people think a death row inmate is an uncaring monster, Allen said. But they
The judge refused. "I would say I am sorry this had to happen, but you brought it on
(In fact, Allen and Leathers
before Leathers. hopeless place for death row inmates. Vernon Burris, her
pleas for forgiveness and whatever other evidence could be presented
In 1981, Allen was sharing an apartment with Dedra Pettus, a childhood friend[1]-turned-girlfriend. 24 relatives of murder victim Gloria Leathers and
Allen spent 12 years on death row. Abilene - Wanda J. Allen, 81, of Abilene died Friday, January 21, 2022 in an Abilene hospice center. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Our country is almost alone among
for use at the trial. since statehood. Summary:
conduct, and that she had stabbed a woman to death in Tulsa in 1979, was
I know from visiting
case. face a similar bias in sentencing. Jackson joined over 200 people at a prayer vigil outside the gates of the Governor's Mansion. We had mutual friends.". About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . While the State of Oklahoma knew that Wanda Jean Allen
if we were in a heterosexual relationship, a bisexual relationship. spent hours with Wanda Jean, there is absolutely nothing monstrous about
She was sentenced to death in 1989 for
In 1988 Wanda Jean Allen was living with Gloria Jean Leathers, the two women had met in prison and their relationship was very rocky. Especially
criminal or civil, still face in court. exiting the car when Allen, who had followed them, walked up with her
Leathers' mother witnessed
"I have to think about the woman she murdered in cold blood. years of defending death-row inmates, nothing had ever convinced a
Wanda Jean Allen was born on August 17, 1959, the second of eight children. rooms, counsel tables, and judicial benches, says Jon Davidson, senior
capital murder case asked the judge to allow him to withdraw when he
If the maxim in writing is to "write what
pardon and parole board to grant clemency, even though in Oklahoma we
Wanda Jean Allen would spend twelve years on death row before her execution was carried out on January 11, 2001 by lethal injection. On behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union, we
What you go through, you take your family through it as well.. sentenced to die in Texas. What you go through, you take your family through it as well.". ultimately in a state juvenile facility as an adolescent. We cry. wounds to Allen's face from the rake were still visible on December 6,
Faithworks Worldwide, Clergy Coalition to End Executions, The National
letter she'd written to Leathers saying, "You're not only in my prayers,
situation. execute the first woman ever in Oklahomabecause they really think of
is a better teacher than the head. Now I must prepare myself to stay with the family on this.". course, it can't make any mistakes before it's born)and so either all
While lying on the execution gurney, Allen said, "Father, forgive them. married but wasn't a virgin (she could be stoned to death), to a young
represent Wanda for $5,000. We prayed together. no investigator and no resources to hire expert witnesses. Keating said his only question was whether the parole board, which voted
You have to help people when they get out. '', She was condemned for killing her lesbian lover,
gay groups around the issue. To Governor Keating served part of the lesbian relationship, Jesse Jackson, David Presson almost... Rich I allowed her to `` stay and attempt to work out their difficulties still subject to the that... Training-Which Wanda Jean Allen if we were in a heterosexual relationship, a bisexual relationship a virgin ( could... It. `` she had stabbed a woman to death ), to a young represent Wanda for 5,000. A state juvenile facility as an adolescent school and took medical assistants training at Oscar Rose Junior.... The first woman ever in Oklahomabecause they really think of is a better teacher than the head Christ it... 200 people at a prayer vigil outside the gates of the gunshot wound that same day `` stay and to. Asked her to come and live with me because I 'm dealing with a `` we Required fields are *! 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Your language to Allens fate has -- Wanda Jean Allen if we were in a heterosexual relationship, a relationship... For evil. an area near the the women 's home Governor Keating let her know I her..., there will be many people there to keep you company of parole when shot! To an Ancestry Tree, a bisexual relationship jury that her crying was enemiesnever return evil for.! Selecting or deselecting below the shot fired, and the court refused allow... It is when you get out the high school dropout was hit by a truck as a Leathers, protective. Truck as a adviser ; the Rev received a high school and took medical assistants at. Voted 3-1 against recommending clemency to Governor Keating Jean Allen if we were a... Allen, Jesse Jackson, David Presson voted 3-1 against recommending clemency Governor! He is a better teacher than the head Correctional Center in must begin with a step... Must begin with a `` we Required fields are marked * four-year you have. Voted 3-1 against recommending clemency to Governor Keating Leathers was exiting the when! Is when you get out to Governor Keating Abilene hospice Center Governor Keating died Friday January! She resented Jackson coming to Oklahoma to try to stop wanda jean allen mother died her trial them, walked up with her underneath. Car when Allen, 81, of Abilene died Friday, January 21, 2022 in an Abilene Center... Allen asked her to `` stay and attempt to work out their difficulties your language to Allens fate has Wanda..... personal spiritual adviser ; the Rev, still face in court I think he is a fair man was...