Pope Francis, Kelly Renee Gissendaner: Executed Despite Pope’s Appeal

The Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole executed Kelly Renee Gissendaner of Georgia even after requests of clemency from her children and a letter of appeal written on behalf of Pope Francis. Gissendaner was executed at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison located in Jackson at 12:21 a.m. which was initially scheduled at 7 p.m.

"At 12:21 am (0441 GMT) the court ordered execution of Kelly Gissendaner was carried out in accordance of state law. She made a final statement and requested a prayer," according to the spokeswoman of the Georgia Department of Corrections, Agence France Presse reported.

The letter, addressed to the board, was penned by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano. Included in the letter were passages from the Pope's speech where he said "every life is sacred," and added that "society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes."

"Please be assured of my prayers as you consider this request by Pope Francis for what I believe would be a just act of clemency," the archbishop wrote, ABC News reported.

Gissendaner's lawyers have previously filed petitions for her clemency. "Have societal standards of decency evolved to the point that the Eighth and 14th Amendments now prohibit the execution of a capital defendant who did not physically participate in the murder of her victim?" their appeal said, according to the Associated Press.

The family of the victim feels otherwise for Gissendaner.

"As the murderer, she's been given more rights and opportunity over the last 18 years than she ever afforded to Doug who, again, is the victim here. She had no mercy, gave him no rights, no choices, nor the opportunity to live his life. His life was not hers to take," according to a statement released by the victim's loved ones, NBC reported.

Forty-seven-year-old Gissendaner was put on death row in 1997 when she connived with a lover, Gregory Owen, to murder her husband, Douglas Gissendaner.

For more news on Gissendaner's appeals, click here.