Georgia woman to be executed despite the pope's pleas

Pope Francis
(Image credit: Franco Origlia/Getty Images)

Death row inmate Kelly Gissendaner will die by lethal injection on Tuesday at 7 p.m., marking the first time that a female convict has been executed in the state of Georgia in 70 years. Despite a last-minute clemency hearing and a letter from Pope Francis urging the state to halt her execution, Gissendaner, 47, will ultimately face death for plotting the murder of her husband in 1997.

Gissendaner's execution was widely contested, even by her children, who said that their "dad would not want [their] mom to be executed, even knowing her role in his murder."

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