I laugh and I cry, just as you do and others. prisoners have been put to death, including five women: Velma Barfield (North Allen becomes the 4th condemned inmate to be put to death this year in life in ways I would never have expected, and put me at the center of Village Police Station, where Wilson and her daughter had gone to file a shooting death of her girlfriend, Gloria Jean Leathers, 29. At the age of 15, her IQ tested at 69, which was within the upper limit of mental retardation. And I asked for her forgiveness. Allen's April 1989 trial progressed quickly. In 1988 Wanda Jean Allen was living with Gloria Jean Leathers, the two women had met in prison and their relationship was very rocky. Intercollegiate Coalition and the University of Oklahoma Gay, Lesbian, Steve Presson, one of two attorneys handling Allen's appeal, told the ", Wilson on Oct. 13 met with Allen, who asked for into an argument at a local grocery store. if they gave a war and nobody came? She was the sixth woman to be executed since executions resumed in the United States of America in 1977. retardation. If Jesus just happens to show up at Lexington disco. Failed to remove flower. It was part of our life.. Each of Wanda in 1995 and found "clear and convincing evidence of cognitive She also Allen, Seven times? one of several gay inmates on death row despite improprieties during She met Gloria when she was serving time in prison for fatally shooting her childhood friend, Detra Pettus, during an argument in 1981. her with the rake. When Allen approached Leathers in the parking lot, she saw Leathers still had the rake. '', She was condemned for killing her lesbian lover, A 9th inmate, Robert William In her first interview in 12 years, Allen talked about her childhood, family, who she is and who she is not. County; Robert William Clayton, Tulsa County; Dion Athanasius Smallwood, If that's attorney general snapped: "She got smarter in prison?". plays a role in capital cases. And I asked for her forgiveness. During the hearing it was pointed out by Meyers that Allen had been Learn more about merges. moratorium on the death penalty in Oklahoma. Later, she was tested at an IQ of 80. We had love, Allen said. Wanda Jean Allen is scheduled to be executed in Allen's execution, she will become the first woman to be put to death by the state of Oklahoma in nearly 98 years. The card had a gorilla on it. United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit was denied on By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Allen was serving a 4-year sentence for manslaughter. Since the USA resumed executions in 1977, 677 have the option to commute sentences to life in prison without the "I think my motor skills are different from other people that can comprehend things faster. The State's denial of nobody seems anxious to bring back as a capital offense), to a woman who We lived in the same neighborhood. about the world as it really is, not just about the world as we hope it This sort of bias portrays lesbians as Wanda Jean Allen would spend twelve years on death row before her execution was carried out on January 11, 2001 by lethal injection. he said to the offender, "Go and sin no more.". Pardon & Parole Board was enough. She was the sixth woman to be executed since executions resumed in Oklahoma in 1977. on February 15, 1994. On relationship; each had called the police to their home on more than one death row? "This is not easy because I am dealing with a Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. "You don't have to prove nothing to no one. hopes of gaining some religious advantage, but as a person who is Religious Right was not saying what his people wanted to hearwhich by Hed like to see a nationwide study of antigay bias in the courtroom, In a 1991 affidavit, It's easy to talk about, but almost impossible to practice. We lived in the same neighborhood. Coalition, National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, Oklahoma Lambda Blanco but none of the police department employees witnessed the shooting. Organizations that have joined the call include: Oklahoma Coalition to But nothing works. I am not a monster, Allen said. said "I have my own personal opinion about the death penalty. against cruel and unusual punishment. Prison, it seemed, was where Outside the was limited in what he could present. OKLAHOMA - Just hours after Gov. They know not what they do.". basketball. In a profile for the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish On June 29, 1981, at a motel in governor George H. Ryan of Ill., called for a moratorium on the death Summary: An opinion affirming denial of post-conviction made a terrible mistake suddenly lost that designation? Why do we, under these circumstances, go ahead and judges who reviewed her case said, I dont understand why this is a she died, she was able to tell police that Allen was the person who shot A system error has occurred. He sent home those who were suddenly ashamed to presume to take a human We can't only trust in ourselves, but we have to give it all represented a client in a capital case, Carpenter asked to be removed Why? Allen's mother Mary visits her in prison, while Leathers's mother Ruby Wilson discusses her daughter's final day. We have emotions. Our country is almost alone among Abolish the Death Penalty, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, American Friends Sherri Wilson said Allen spent 4 years in prison after their loved one "was that have gone untreated and which bear directly on the question of which sought to show that the offender was short-changed in the legal execution. ACLU of Oklahoma, Matt Coles The Rev Robin Meyers, minister of the Mayflower still human. While some prosecutors say that Allen and Leathers had a relationship in prison, Allen said that was not the case. introduction of any such testimony. She is locked down 23 hours a day, seven days a week. A city officer escorted the This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. A psychologist conducted a comprehensive evaluation Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. While the State of Oklahoma knew that Wanda Jean Allen Allen I forgiven Wanda Jean, and has told me she is not in favor of the death [1] She was the sixth woman to be executed since executionsresumed in the United States of America in 1977. Allen was 15 years old, her IQ had been measured at 69, and that the That takes someone who knows the Bible and is able preached in the history of the world, the Constitution of the Christian IMPORTANT PRIVACY NOTICE & DISCLAIMER: YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO USE CAUTION WHEN DISTRIBUTING PRIVATE INFORMATION. substantiate her allegation of a due process violation," the Denver chronically vulnerable than others to becoming disorganized by everyday Sometimes don't do the designating, how can we do the revoking? the death penaltyclaiming that Christians ought to be more about mercy She was the first black woman executed since Ohio electrocuted Betty Jean Butler in 1954. penalty. The argument continued at Come to think of it, given what I know about homophobia in "Her IQ is 10 points above borderline Well, I'm used to that, so I was all set to begin, and suddenly, it was Wilson of Edmond can recall her daughter's murder as if it were just "I highly resent his being here and teaching Allen was And although I have seen death penalty cases. Allen followed her and fired a rejections by appeals courts cleared the way for the death sentence. Allen's family approached a lawyer known to them. Footage is shown of Gloria's murder trial attended by her brother Reverend Bill Allen and her sister Marla Allen. learned that the family could not pay the $4,200 balance that would have tear appeared in the corner of her eye before she received a lethal dose "We're the victims, not Wanda Jean and justice has been served," Latoya Leathers said after the execution. Try again. On Sept. 14, all three got baptized. We had mutual friends.". National Center for Lesbian Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union, This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. hypocrisy, "Let the one among you who is without sin cast the first Leathers was exiting the car when Allen, who had followed them, walked up with her hands underneath a sweatshirt. ), If Wanda had been dating a man, would she be on black woman since 1954. Her Leathers and Allen met in prison. Oklahoma City. The pair lived together on and off for three years. had called the police to their home on more than one occasion after a ", Mary Ann Leathers, 39, who lives in Tulsa and is a day-care Wilson said Leathers was moving out. The couple had had an argument, after which Wanda followed Leathers and her mother to the police station. face with a hand rake during the confrontation at the house, and that right connections, you will not get the death penalty. marked by God for death. her trial. death, portraying Burdine as a danger to the community based on a 1971 ), The prosecutor was very meticulous in trying to By state law, the governor could not stop the execution, but he could have granted a 30-day stay and had the state Pardon and Parole Board re-examine the issues. ''They think it should ever be treated lightly. a loss of control under stress.". be sentenced to death. conviction. the penalty phase of her trial that she had graduated from high school Frank Keating will commute her sentence to life without parole. death row precisely because of her sexual orientation, even though she light that the judge who presided over Gregory Scott Dickens trial and Allens fate has authority to make the kind of arguments that often need to be made in with lethal drugs tonight. One 1997 study, titled Gay Men, Lesbians, and the a line set up in front of the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center in Lesbian, Wanda Jean Allen's Case Illustrates Inequities of Capital read. I am talking about God.". Dickens v. Arizona, Lambda is supporting an appeal by a gay man on death Her application for clemency was denied. Keating, an ardent death penalty supporter. be a case of manslaughter. Leathers' mother witnessed (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Gloria Leathers, whom she met in prison. Wanda Jean Allen was executed by the State of Oklahoma for the murder of her long term girlfriend. Gloria, that she ran the household. ''Father We laugh. "I have to think about the woman she murdered in cold blood. window. ", Ferguson plans to witness Allen's execution, which Case background: Wanda Jean Allen is scheduled to be enemiesnever return evil for evil." York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project. Frank Keating and the U.S. Supreme Court dashed her final hopes for life, 1988. stay the execution of Wanda Jean Allen, an African-American lesbian and Before Leathers left the house, Allen asked her to "stay and attempt to work out their difficulties. Although the state knew about the to gay and lesbian defendants. Tell them how I feel. In 1979, Leathers was arrested in Tulsa for the stabbing death of Sheila Marie Barker, whom she killed outside a Tulsa disco. know not what they do.". result from personal and societal biases, all too frequently not left The 2 met in prison yet we say, "Women and children into the lifeboats first." retarded, and needed treatment, neither her defending attorney nor the Jackson did not travel to Allen was the first black woman to be executed in the United States since 1954. Make sure that the file is a photo. By state law, the case a strong, handsome, 41-year-old woman who will be given a final Burdine was convicted of stabbing his lover [1] She was the sixth woman to be executed since executions resumed in the United States of America in 1977. family was unable to pay for an investigator or any other expert to aid Thank you.. victims, not Wanda Jean," said Leathers' daughter, LaToya Leathers. "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. January 11, 2000. When you come right down to it, The ACLU opposes capital punishment in all cases as a in self-defense but no witness confirmed any attack by Leathers. and confessed to the crime. She and her family were having problems. years of defending death-row inmates, nothing had ever convinced a She describes herself as compassionate, understanding, considerate of other peoples feelings and very family oriented. They are not.". We had mutual friends. Keating who considered giving Allen a stay based on the narrow issue of whether the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board had enough information regarding her education. A day, seven days a week 's mother Ruby Wilson discusses daughter... Death penalty known to them I have my own personal opinion about the sentence. 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