Richard Jordan executed for MS kidnapping, murder committed nearly 50 years ago
Forty-nine years after his conviction in the kidnapping and execution-style murder of a Gulfport banker’s wife, Mississippi’s longest-serving death row inmate, Richard Gerald Jordan, died by lethal injection at the state prison at Parchman.
Jordan, 79, was pronounced dead at 6:16 p.m., after a procedure began with the injection of a lethal three-drug cocktail into his veins around 6 p.m.
Prior to his death, Jordan once again offered his sorrow over the decision he made in January 1976 to kidnap a Gulfport banker’s wife, Edwina Marter, for ransom after he learned that Edwina’s husband, Charles “Church” Marter, was the chief loan officer at Gulf National Bank in Gulfport.
His execution came nearly 49 years after a jury first convicted him of capital murder in the kidnapping and execution-style slaying of Edwina Marter, 35.
Jordan died strapped to a gurney with the IV in his veins. The first drug administered was a sedative, before the others ultimately caused him to die for his crime.
In his final words, Jordan once again apologized for the kidnapping and execution-style slaying of Edwina Marter.
Jordan came up with the plan because he was married and deeply in debt, and needed a way to get money fast to settle the debts he owed for department store purchases, a car, and other buys he had made after his three tours of combat with the U.S. Army ended.
Jordan then set his plan in action, kidnapping Marter and then killing her execution-style after he drove her to a wooded area near Saucier around DeSoto National Forest.
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Marter’s death shattered Harrison County’s sense of safety and left her children without a mom.
Jordan’s wife, another friend or relative, and a member of the clergy close to the Marter family attended the execution, many tearing up as the procedure began.
In his final words, he asked Edwina Marter and others who suffered as a result of his crime for forgiveness.
Jordan is now the third prisoner in Mississippi to die by lethal injection in the last 10 years, though others are expected to soon follow.
Throughout the day leading up to the execution, MDOC officials released more details about Jordan’s time in prison.
At a 2 p.m. briefing, MDOC Superintendent Burl Cain and a colleague talked about what he experienced in the days leading up to his scheduled execution at 6 p.m.
“He’s visited with his family, lawyers, spiritual advisers, and as a matter of fact, right now, he is still meeting with family,” the officials said.
As for his last meal, the commissioner said Jordan ordered chicken tenders, fries, strawberry ice cream, and a root beer float.
“He’s talking and appears to be in a good mood,” a prison official said. “He’s been telling stories. I’ve been with him a lot of the time, and so he’s talking about his past and his history and things like that.”
MDOC staff said they realized the nature of his crime and that the time had come to carry out the sentence.
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Meanwhile, Charles Marter still has fond memories of his wife and mother of their two young sons who grew up in New Orleans and was an educated woman who devoted her life to being a full-time mother and housewife.
The Marters had moved to Gulfport after Charles Marter received a job offer from Gulf National Bank, later acquired by Peoples Bank.
“She was a wonderful lady,” Marter said in earlier interviews. When Edwina Marter wasn’t caring for family, she enjoyed playing tennis and visiting with friends.
After the killing, Marter took a banking job in Lafayette and moved there with the couple’s two children.
“Too many memories in Mississippi,” he said.
As Jordan’s case lingered in the court system for decades, Charles Marter said, “They should go ahead and do what they are supposed to do and end Jordan’s life.”
Until this week, the state had stalled recurring action in the case to carry out Jordan’s sentence of death. Despite the attempts, Jordan died by lethal injection in a case long stalled due to appeals over the years and other matters.
Relatives of the victim are hoping that justice is finally served in a case that has long haunted their families and likely always will.
This story was originally published June 25, 2025 at 10:48 AM.
