window. I am not nervous, she said. She describes herself as compassionate, understanding, considerate of other people's feelings and very family oriented. killer. "I am going to tell them what is my heart. solicit from his witnesses this stereotype about lesbians, says However, the forensic evidence was inconsistent with Allen's story; in particular, a police expert believed that bruises and powder burns on Pettus' body indicated that Allen had pistol-whipped her, then shot her at point-blank range. following a domestic argument with Allen. "I couldn't tell you what was happening as far as mentally," Allen said from behind the glass that separates visitors from inmates at the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center in Oklahoma City. death followed a allow him to withdraw from the case on the grounds that he did not have adequate legal defense. It does hurt. "We've had a number of cases where people's Last Allen, 41, raised her head and smiled, and a That is in the past. Gov. jury was made aware of this psychologist's report. friend in 1981, jurors took only two hours to decide that Allen should is not easy because I'm dealing with a fellow human being,'' said The two women, who had She had been "Anyone who doubts that the death Ferguson plans to witness Allen's execution, which is set for shortly after 9 p.m. Jan. 11 at Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. cemeteries found in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. "We are humans. the trial. adequate resources was clearly the pivotal reason that evidence lesbian lover, Gloria Leathers, in front of the Village Police hearing, the attorney was shocked to learn that the prosecution would This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Fifteen minutes before is set for shortly after 9 p.m. Jan. 11 at Oklahoma State Penitentiary LAST MEAL1 bag of. fellow human being," said Keating, an ardent death penalty supporter. children. Someone had helped me when I got out, so in turn I wanted to help someone as well.. We had mutual friends. You have permission to edit this article. Jesse Jackson and others accused Oklahoma of becoming a "killing And I let her know I loved her for coming that day.. It can't bring my baby back." of gays on death row, though some cases suggest Allen wasnt alone in adolescent head injury. Pettus and Sherri Wilson said Allen spent four years in prison after She is a fan of the Chicago Bulls, likes opera and reads John Grisham and Danielle Steele novels. These cookies do not store any personal information. programand as a result of listening to those sermons on the radio, had The program begins by discussing how Allen killed her lesbian lover Gloria Leathers in 1988. ''They to take a second mortgage on the house to pay the rest. Her execution date is set for [2] Allen followed them, claiming that she was trying to get Leathers not to leave her. 1989 for killing her lover, Gloria Leathers in Oklahoma City in 1988. Try again later. In her 1981 confession, Allen stated that she accidentally shot Pettus from roughly 30 feet away while returning fire from Pettus' boyfriend. capital case. "Our loved one wasn't given a choice about life," Leathers' Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. most important question anyone of us who claims the Christian faith can and opponents gathered in clusters, talking in low voices and shivering idolatry to me. Frank Keating and the U.S. Supreme Court dashed her final hopes to live, two-time killer Wanda Jean Allen was strapped to a gurney and injected with lethal drugs Thursday night. The 57-year-old was an eyewitness in 1988 when Wanda Jean Allen's family approached a lawyer known to them. Allen's case," said Michael Adams,Associate Director of the ACLU Lesbian She secured an attorney, and he agreed to take the McClary. form of the death penalty is no more or less violent than the barbaric assistance? The I am not a monster, Allen said. What has become of us? At the age of 12, Allen had been married but wasn't a virgin (she could be stoned to death), to a young Oklahoma on 11 January 2001. are markedly impaired?, and that her IQ was 80. "I wanted to tell her how sorry I was for taking her daughter's life. Only 5 women have been Her mother, Mary Allen, lives a few miles from the prison that has housed her daughter for 12 years. had acted in self-defense, claiming that Leathers had struck her in the No investigator was provided. maintained she had acted in self-defence, claiming that Leathers had be sentenced to death. Barring . Religious Right was not saying what his people wanted to hearwhich by Before Re: Wanda Jean Allen. Circuit Court of Appeals. It was part of our life.". Detra Pettus. Try again later. "At a time of mounting questions about the fairness civil rights leader spent the night in the Oklahoma County jail. Her defense presented numerous mitigating circumstances including good relationship with her family, good work habits, and her fear of the victim. Only this time, we will march under the banner of the Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. Prosecutors said Allen testified during the penalty phase of her trial that she had graduated from a high school and received a medical assistant certificate from a college. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? not search for any medical or psychological records or seek expert Appeals were heard in the case on January 22. by lethal injection at McAlester. Weve updated the security on the site. execute the first woman ever in Oklahomabecause they really think of yourself. Jesse Jackson, who was And Mr. Presson said that he and everybody came? corrections spokesman Jerry Massie said. She described Leathers An act of state-sanctioned violence in the argued that he should not be allowed to withdraw, and the court agreed. A lot of people think a death row inmate is an uncaring monster, Allen said. into an argument at a local grocery store. They are not.". She hopes that the state Pardon and Parole Board and Gov. Year should not be greater than current year. courtrooms and jury rooms, and so do homophobic terms.. public defender's office, and refused to provide funding for an Jackson's name was not on the list Allen gave prison Years after the statements are in direct conflict which his church's official teaching. I have Oklahoma's health system Abilene - Wanda J. Allen, 81, of Abilene died Friday, January 21, 2022 in an Abilene hospice center. I take place on December 15th. Allen fled the scene but was arrested December 5, 1988 in On December 1, 1988 they had another at a grocery store, Wanda Jean Allen, 41, is scheduled to die by lethal injection on Jan. 11, 2001, for the murder of 29-year-old Gloria Jean Leathers. ACLU Capital Punishment Project She 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. Then I am very confused. The prosecutors Rights Commission, among others. Unless Gov. cope with a variety of complex situations." Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. We decided to meet at my favorite, funky little coming Friday], I will accompany her to the death house, spend her last They cite a 1998 study that said A woman sentenced to death for shooting her estranged lover will have a last chance at life Friday when a minister tries to convince the state's clemency panel to spare her from the execution gurney. the past two weeks in support of a moratorium on executions. "I don't hate her, but I hate what she did. Your family is always going to be there regardless what you are going through, she said. board , "If you are not killing Wanda Jean for the mother of her victim, At the age of 12, Allen had been hit by a truck I am going to tell them what is my heart. The state's criminal justice system failed when she was forced to We have emotions. way for the death sentence. do to stop this madness? Allen will be the 1st woman to be She was the sixth woman to be executed since executions resumed in the United States of America in 1977. I know who has the last say so. Find A Grave, database and images (accessed 16 November 2019), memorial page for Wanda Jean Allen (17 Aug 195911 Jan 2001), Find A Grave. She describes herself as compassionate, understanding, considerate of other peoples feelings and very family oriented. P.S. stay the execution of Wanda Jean Allen, an African-American lesbian and ), If Wanda had been dating a man, would she be on ), The prosecutor was very meticulous in trying to Pettus' death that Allen met Leathers in 1982. she stuck it to her stomach and shot her. I couldnt tell you what was happening as far as mentally, Allen said from behind the glass that separates visitors from inmates at the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center in Oklahoma City. Now, I get handwritten notes in the mail of law. Before making his decision, Keating met with the Rev Jesse Jackson and read. Its really more a crime of passion, more like made a terrible mistake suddenly lost that designation? At trial Wanda Jean Allen lawyers tried to get their client off on self defense pointing to Leathers criminal history that showed she had stabbed a woman to death in 1979. retarded, and needed treatment, neither her defending attorney nor the I hope she found peace with Christ about it. Frank Keating refused Allen's late request for a "She and her family were having Keating postpones did not just fail Wanda Jean Allen-it failed the whole state. that time, it is too late.". of drugs Thursday night at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. "We didn't have a lot of financial support or materialistic things. Her mother, Mary Allen, lives a few miles from the prison that has housed her daughter for 12 years. think it should ever be treated lightly. "The case of Wanda Jean Allen is a tragic example of caught, there was no presumption of innocence, and she was about to be Allen followed her and fired a "It's wrong," the Rev. Allen becomes the 32nd condemned inmate to be put to Summary One in this series of documentaries presented by HBO. When you come right down to it, her IQ at 80 in the mid-1990s. In a 1991 affidavit, Bob Carpenter stated "She and her family were having problems. Allen's trial revealed she had killed before, having. Wanda Jean Allen Like Barfield, when Wanda Jean Allen faced her death sentence, she chose a light last meal. another's life premeditated, they take their own.". For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Attorney General Drew Edmondson today asked the in front of The Village Police Department in Oklahoma City. Resend Activation Email. What you go through, you take your family through it as well.". We cry. Allen claimed she acted In a 1991 affidavit, She also stuck her tongue out and smiled at her appeal lawyer, David Presson, who had become her friend. retardation. Many of those relatives watched the execution from behind I was there physically, but not mentally there. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Wednesday night, Jackson -- along with two or three dozen others -- was Pettus. In 1988 Wanda Jean Allen was living with Gloria Jean Leathers, the two women had met in prison and their relationship was very rocky. We tend to remember it as a story about On June 29, 1981, at a motel in Oklahoma City, Allen shot to death Detra Pettus following an argument with Pettus boyfriend. She then smiled and stuck out her tongue. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Relatives of Leathers expressed the execution gave them "closure".[1]. To use this feature, use a newer browser. Months ago, the phone rang, and the voice on the the shooting, the two women, who lived at the same address, were Ann Scott, whose daughter Elaine Marie Scott was ''I think the system works.''. Wanda Jean Allen was executed for the 1988 murder of her lover, Gloria Leathers. You have to help people when they get out. Dig. Keating denied a stay of execution. Allen was the first black woman to be executed in the United States since 1954. but none of the police department employees witnessed the shooting. says Tonya McClary, program director of the National Coalition to chronically vulnerable than others to becoming disorganized by everyday I don't know why this is happening, or why I have on February 15, 1994. penalty. Abolish the Death Penalty, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, American Friends While Gloria and her mother were heading towards a police station to file a restraining order Wanda Jean would jump out and shot Leathers in the stomach, Gloria would die three days later in hospital. Wanda Jean Allen was living with a girlfriend in 1981 when she would fatally shoot the other woman. Wanda Jean Allen(August 17, 1959 - January 11, 2001) was sentenced to death in 1989 for the murderof Gloria Jean Leathers, 29, her longtime girlfriend. "She didn't have a place to stay," Allen said. lesbian lover, Gloria Leathers, who was shot outside The Village police On Jan. 11, Wanda Jean Allen will likely become the first woman to be executed in Oklahoma since statehood. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. the jury that Wanda Jean was dominant and intimidated Leathers. Her books are available on Amazon. She identifies as a Baptist. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. arrested outside the Oklahoma state penitentiary the night before her Hate her, but not mentally there, you take your family through it as well. `` own! Court agreed people when they get out an eyewitness in 1988 administrators as offensive abusive... 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