Georgia postpones execution of female death-row inmate

The death chamber in the Georgia state prison in Jackson — (Image credit: Georgia Department of Corrections/Getty Images)

The state of Georgia had scheduled Kelly Renee Gissendaner's execution for 7 p.m. on Monday night, but postponed it "out of an abundance of caution," after questions arose about the lethal-injection drug to be administered, according to Georgia Department of Corrections spokeswoman Gwendolyn Hogan. Gissendaner, 46, was convicted of planning the 1997 murder of her husband by her boyfriend, Gregory Owen, who testified against her in a plea deal.

This was the second delay in Gissendaner's planned execution, and Georgia officials didn't disclose a new date. If executed, she will be Georgia's first female death row inmate put to death in 70 years, and only the 16th woman executed since 1976, when the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.