Jack Edward Alderman (May 29, 1951 – September 16, 2008) was, at the time of his execution, the longest-serving death row prisoner in the United States who has been executed. He had remained on death row for over 33 years.

History

Jack Alderman was born on May 29, 1951 in Garden City, Georgia. On June 14, 1975, he was convicted for his part in the killing of his wife, Barbara Jean Alderman (), and was subsequently sentenced to death by the Superior Court of Chatham County, Georgia. His wife was beaten to death with a crescent wrench and choked before being dumped into a creek in Rincon, near Barbara's mother's home. On April 1, 1985, at a new sentencing trial, he was again sentenced to die. A

Timesonline ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fo ...

article states: "Alderman's co-defendant, John Brown, a drug addict and alcoholic, confessed to the murder, but then changed his story to implicate Alderman. Brown claimed that he and Alderman killed Mrs Alderman together, and that Alderman promised to pay him for his role in the killing. There was no forensic evidence and Alderman was convicted only as a result of statements provided by Brown."British lawyers lose fight to halt ‘obscene’ US execution of Jack Alderman
The prosecutors, however, maintained that Jack Alderman attempted to defraud $20,000 from his wife's life insurance, which was provided for by Barbara's employer, the City of Savannah.

Marcel Berlins Marcel Berlins (30 October 1941 – 31 July 2019) was a French-born lawyer, legal commentator, author, broadcaster and columnist. He was best known for his work in the United Kingdom, writing for British national newspapers ''The Times'' and ''T ...

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wrote: "Alderman had claimed from the start he was innocent, even refusing to enter into plea bargains that would have spared his life, because that would have meant admitting his culpability". Alderman was held at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, Georgia.

Constitutionality of lethal injection

On September 19, 2007, an execution date for Jack Alderman, there was a temporary stay while the Supreme Court decided on the constitutionality of lethal injection.

Legal action and campaigning

The Law Society The Law Society of England and Wales (officially The Law Society) is the professional association that represents solicitors for the jurisdiction of England and Wales. It provides services and support to practising and training solicitors, as ...

, the

Bar Council {{see also, Bar association A bar council ( ga, Comhairle an Bharra) or bar association, in a common law jurisdiction with a legal profession split between solicitors and barristers or advocates, is a professional body that regulates the profes ...

and the charity Reprieve, all organizations in Europe, called on the United Kingdom's then Foreign Secretary to use diplomatic channels to stay the execution of American convict Alderman and end what they called the "gross injustice of 34 years". They also sent letters to the Governor and Attorney-General of Georgia and its Board of Pardons and Paroles. Alderman was represented free-of-charge by the London law firm Clifford Chance.

Execution

He was executed by lethal injection by the US State of Georgia on September 16, 2008. Jack Alderman was pronounced dead at 7:25 p.m. EDT at the

Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison Opened in 1969, Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison (GDCP) is a Georgia Department of Corrections prison for men in unincorporated Butts County, Georgia, near Jackson. The prison holds the state execution chamber. The execution equipment ...

References

External links

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Anita Roddick Dame Anita Lucia Roddick (23 October 1942 – 10 September 2007) was a British businesswoman, human rights activist and environmental campaigner, best known as the founder of the British version of The Body Shop, now The Body Shop Internationa ...

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Campaign site: Exonerate Jack.

Letter from Jack Alderman to his lawyer about his life on death row.
(Dead link) {{DEFAULTSORT:Alderman, Jack 1951 births 2008 deaths 1975 murders in the United States People executed by Georgia (U.S. state) by lethal injection 21st-century executions by Georgia (U.S. state) 21st-century executions of American people American people executed for murder American people convicted of murder People convicted of murder by Georgia (U.S. state)