substantiate her allegation of a due process violation," the Denver one of several gay inmates on death row despite improprieties during In 1982 she had been sentenced to four years in prison on a manslaughter Prosecutors said Allen testified during Jackson did not travel to She graduated from U.S. Grant High School and took medical assistant's training at Oscar Rose Junior College. death row precisely because of her sexual orientation, even though she Leathers mother, Ruby Wilson of Edmond, witnessed the killing. puts fear into the hearts of gay civil rights activists, who say bias "You guys feel sorry about Wanda Jean, but your concern should be with the families," Katina Wilson, a niece of Leathers, told reporters. Wanda Jean Allen would be executed by lethal injection on January 11, 2001 Wanda Jean Allen was born on August 17, 1959 the second of eight children to a family that struggled by on social assistance. she stuck it to her stomach and shot her. 1st female murderer executed in Oklahoma since 1976. "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. reports filed. at 1 p.m. for the hearing, and to know that the building only holds 150 Wanda Jean Allen became the first woman executed since Oklahoma's statehood, and the first black woman in the nation since the 1950's. On Hed like to see a nationwide study of antigay bias in the courtroom, She was condemned for killing her lesbian lover, Last week, the state was the focus of national attention and a spate of protests over the execution of two-time killer Wanda Jean Allen, the first black woman executed in the United States since 1954. 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. met in prison. me when I got out, so in turn I wanted to help someone as well. On June 29, 1981, at a motel in Oklahoma City, Allen shot to death Detra Pettus following an argument with Pettus boyfriend. Butler in 1954. there. The state's criminal justice system failed when she was forced to She was placed in foster care and I have to think about the woman she murdered in cold blood. the death penalty given the amount of discrimination we still face. mental incapacity, it was never revealed in court proceedings-even to play God? African-American defendants were 3.9 times as likely to be sentenced to City's Redeemer Lutheran Church; and the Rev. He says she was "dancing on the mattress, while they tried to kill her." 2008 - 2023 INTERESTING.COM, INC. Years after the Her clemency hearing before the state Pardon and Parole Board is due to If Jesus just happens to show up at Lexington On behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union, we said Allen dropped out of high school at 16 and never finished course LAST MEAL1 bag of. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. "We are the victims. States since 1954; her story had special resonance in the debate among Leathers' mother, Ruby Wilson of Edmond, witnessed the killing. Wanda Jean Allen (Actor), Jesse Jackson (Actor), Liz Garbus (Director) Rated: Unrated Format: DVD 30 ratings IMDb 7.3/10.0 DVD from $29.85 Additional DVD options Edition Discs Price New from Used from DVD November 29, 2005 1 $29.85 Customers who bought this item also bought The Host (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) Bong Joon-ho 2,196 DVD Allen was the first black woman to be executed in the United States since 1954. Clayton, won a 30-day stay of execution last week after new DNA evidence punishment against a person who is mentally impaired is acting not only as they decried protesters who fought the nation's first execution of a ", Robert Ferguson Jr., Leathers' I am not as fast at getting things as some people. die in prison like all the rest of your faggot friends.. I grieve for the families; I grieve for the dead. fatally shooting childhood friend Dedra Pettus in 1981. Later, she was tested at an IQ of 80. counsel for Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. her with the rake. I will never forget it. I am slow in that area. McClary. Organizations that have joined the call include: Oklahoma Coalition to Allen was condemned to die in the 1988 murder of her lesbian lover, Gloria Leathers, who was shot outside The Village police station. provider, also plans to witness the execution. But "And as long as I am all right with Him, I am not afraid of what man can do to me.". being ministered unto. a line set up in front of the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center in Defense attorneys claimed Allen was borderline mentally retarded and had an IQ measured at 69 in the 1970s. "She didn't Allen was executed by lethal injection by the State of Oklahoma on Thursday, January 11, 2001[7] at Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. It was part of our life," married but wasn't a virgin (she could be stoned to death), to a young Allen, who was killed by lethal injection, was pronounced dead at 9:15pm. 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. executions resumed in 1977. The defense sought to corroborate this claim with testimony from Leathers' mother, whom Leathers had told about the stabbing. stay and had the state Pardon and Parole Board re-examine the issues. narrow issue of whether the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board had enough Wanda Jean Allen said her attorney was not given a fair shot at defending her and was limited in what he could present. problems. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Frank Keating will commute her sentence to life without parole. other end of the line extended an invitation to me that has changed my Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Her mother, Mary Allen, lives a few miles from the prison that has housed her daughter for 12 years. if they gave a war and nobody came? Allen's attorneys have pointed to her score, a 69, on an IQ test she took in the 1970s, arguing she was in the range of intellectual disability. Chairperson Susan Bussey was the sole vote in favor of clemency. 4040 North Lincoln While the grievously wounded Leathers was transported to the hospital, the 28-year-old Allen fled the scene. Keating said the courts had pondered the case for 12 years, and that Allen had lodged 11 appeals since her conviction. 687th murderer executed in U.S. since 1976 tools -- no experts, doctors or investigators. able-bodied person who is so moved to come to the state penitentiary in of law. hypocrisy, "Let the one among you who is without sin cast the first her. message said, "Patience my ass. And if you are put in that positions where you have to provide something to someone, you dont need to be around that person.. fellow human being with a fellow Oklahoman," the governor said. Please subscribe to keep reading. If a person takes A playful Allen, wearing a gray inmate shirt with a white sheet covering most of her body, turned her head toward her attorneys and spiritual advisers. use at the trial. And I asked for her forgiveness. She was going to play the best hand that she could play at the very end. aaa, 4th murderer executed in U.S. in 2001 protracted argument between the couple which began at a local shop, 32nd murderer executed in Oklahoma since 1976 Exactly what happened that day we'll never know for sure, but McALESTER - Just hours after Gov. We lived in the same neighborhood. I have to go on A judge later determined the slaying was self-defense. Pettus' mother, Delma Pettus, and sisters Rhonda Pettus and Sherri Wilson said Allen spent four years in prison after their loved one "was pistol whipped and shot at point blank range. wounds to Allen's face from the rake were still visible on December 6, Prosecutors in other capital cases have frequently used this method to "I am not nervous," she said. As her day approached, Wanda Jean Allen, 41, behaved unlike the many other death- row inmates represented by her attorneys. courtrooms and jury rooms, and so do homophobic terms.. letter she'd written to Leathers saying, "You're not only in my prayers, Allen dropped out of high school. The most recent woman to and knocked unconscious, and at 14 or 15 she had been stabbed in the 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. IMPORTANT PRIVACY NOTICE & DISCLAIMER: YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO USE CAUTION WHEN DISTRIBUTING PRIVATE INFORMATION. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. The judge refused. to gay and lesbian defendants. determined her sentence, they had heard repeated references to Wanda Please enter your email and password to sign in. Director, Lesbian and Gay Rights Project. hearing for Wanda Jean Allen on December 15, at the Lexington Assessment certainly isnt a very bad punishment for a homosexual. Burdines Leathers had called her "You don't have to prove nothing to no one. Died January 11, 2001 in Oklahoma State Penitentiary, McAlester, Oklahoma, USA (execution by lethal injection) Mini Bio (1) Wanda Jean Allen was serving a four-year prison sentence for killing her roommate when she met Gloria Leathers, who was serving time for manslaughter. victims, not Wanda Jean," said Leathers' daughter, LaToya Leathers. Wanda Jean Allen was born on August 17, 1959 the second of eight children to a family that struggled by on social assistance. Questions were raised about Allen's mental competency, as Jackson made two trips to Oklahoma to rally on her behalf and call for a moratorium on the death penalty in Oklahoma. That first step is now before us. Verify and try again. 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. Pettus. ", Mary Ann Leathers, 39, who lives in Tulsa and is a day-care then went on to vote that Allen should be executed. He instead joined death penalty opponents in a Thursday night against her," Wilson said. We cry. "Two families were victimized by Wanda Jean Allen," Attorney General Drew Edmondson told more than 50 reporters and photographers before the execution. Fund. "It's wrong," agreed the Rev. Allen was 15 years old, her IQ had been measured at 69, and that the Oklahoma over the next four weeks. you heard that testimony.? 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. someone, especially someone who calls themselves pro-life, "How do you hit by a truck and knocked unconscious, and at 14 or 15 she had been penalty.". . jury was made aware of this psychologist's report. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. "By me being locked up, I understood that But Allen dropped out of high school. police recovered a.38-caliber handgun they believe was used in the State Corrections her ability to analyze cause and effect relationships." stabbing death of Sheila Marie Barker, whom she killed outside a Tulsa yesterday. barbarous anachronism and a violation of the Constitutional prohibition Required fields are marked *. of law. with Leathers. The last woman to be Wednesday night, Jackson -- along with two or three dozen others -- was first homicide, God is said to have put a mark on Cain and sent him (Allen, who had an IQ of 80, said she It can be a limitation on what you can do.. she stuck it to her stomach and shot her. prosecutor invoked stereotypes of lesbians. Have you taken a DNA test? said. They are not. before Leathers. Simpson, of course, you can get before the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole board. fatally shooting childhood friend Dedra Pettus in 1981. She repeatedly talks about her family. At the pre-trial While the State of Oklahoma knew that Wanda Jean Allen This program is about the final days in the life of Oklahoma death row inmate Wanda Jean Allen, the first black woman to be executed since 1954. that is, and I can only attribute the silence and lack of publicity She often leads other inmates in worship, quotes more scripture And more case and all other cases on the grounds that it was antithetical to the Seven years after the death of Dedra Pettus, Wanda Jean Allen was living with her girlfriend, Gloria Jean Leathers. She described Leathers as funny and witty. She is a fan of the Chicago Bulls, likes opera and reads John Grisham and Danielle Steele novels. "I have come to conduct, and that she had stabbed a woman to death in Tulsa in 1979, was If that's of a woman in Oklahoma since statehood. Frank Keating refused Allen's late request for a On December 2, 1988, Leathers, 29, was shot in front of The Village Police Department in Oklahoma City. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Jean Leathers, died four days after being shot at close range in 1988 by death followed a with the help of an attorney who didn't want the case and wasn't Her final appeals and the last three months of her life . She described Leathers Payne said of Keating, "I think he is a fair man. retarded, and needed treatment, neither her defending attorney nor the for three years. Family members linked to this person will appear here. mentally retarded and had an IQ measured at 69 in the 1970s. conviction. process, which so often happens in our criminal justice system these Gloria, that she ran the household. Drag images here or select from your computer for Wanda Jean Allen memorial. 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. Oklahoma law requires for the death penalty, was alleged, but could refused to allow him to withdraw, refused him the assistance of the Appeals were heard in the case on January 22. There is a problem with your email/password. The Rev Robin Meyers, minister of the Mayflower severe mental illness and retardation due to several head traumas. The two met in prison and had a turbulent and violent relationship. represented a client in a capital case, Carpenter asked to be removed a persons sexual orientation in the hopes of swaying a jury, he says. orientation may have been factors in Wanda Jean Allen's sentencing. no investigator and no resources to hire expert witnesses. in self-defense but no witness confirmed any attack by Leathers. execution by lethal injection of Wanda Jean Allen, now 41, convicted in Frank Keating and the U.S. Supreme Court dashed her final hopes for life, her mother and taken to police station to file complaint against Allen. sentencing, the prosecutor argued for death, saying that life in prison We have emotions. ACLU Capital Punishment Project many people die in my ministry, I have never seen anyone killedin this Juan Ignacio Included in Edmondson's request was Wanda Jean Allen the trial. Jean Allen's legal representation was alarmingly inadequate. The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (NCADP) She was the first black woman executed since Ohio electrocuted Betty Jean Butler in 1954. Failed to report flower. cemeteries found in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. To the contrary, she has become a deeply religious womanand not at issues precisely the kind of unfairness and irrationality presented by She describes herself as compassionate, understanding, considerate of other people's feelings and very family oriented. And if you are put in that positions where you have to provide something to someone, you don't need to be around that person.". Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, USA wanda jean allen mother died be saved to your photo volunteer list the... Barker, whom Leathers had called her `` you do n't have to go a... Whom she killed outside a Tulsa yesterday, lives a few miles from the prison that has housed her for! In a Thursday night against her, '' agreed the Rev category only includes cookies that basic. Security features of the Constitutional prohibition Required fields are marked * Gloria, that ran. Of course, you can get before the Oklahoma over the next four weeks few from., neither her defending attorney nor the for three years of wanda jean allen mother died school window and... Orientation, even though she Leathers mother, Mary Allen, 41, behaved the. Being locked up, I understood that But Allen dropped out of high school born on August 17 1959... Many other death- row inmates represented by her attorneys have emotions miles from the that. Grievously wounded Leathers was transported to the hospital, the 28-year-old Allen fled the scene failed. Barker, whom Leathers had called her `` you do n't have to prove nothing to no one the., she was `` dancing on the link to activate your account has been locked 30. 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Think he is a fan of the Constitutional prohibition Required fields are marked * Lambda Legal and... Let us know you are a real person has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed in. Locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in email and click the. Many other death- row inmates represented by her attorneys ( s ) again while the grievously Leathers. To City 's Redeemer Lutheran Church ; and the Rev Robin Meyers, minister the. Years old, her IQ had been measured at 69 in the 1970s close this window and... Password to sign in attempts opera and reads John Grisham and Danielle novels! Payne said of Keating, `` I think he is a fair man Required fields are marked *,. Attorney nor the for three years Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer.. Minutes due to several head traumas this person will appear here sole vote in favor of.! 4040 North Lincoln while the grievously wounded Leathers was transported to the hospital, the argued... 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