Richard Jordan's Clemency Petition:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWradthI98c&t=4s

Richard Gerald Jordan grew up in Petal, Mississippi, in a devout church-going family. He is remembered as a good son, brother, and friend. Right out of high school, Richard volunteered to serve our country during the Vietnam War. He then remained in Vietnam to allow his younger brother to return home from the war. He served three tours of duty, volunteering for dangerous combat assignments and earning excellent evaluations. Richard was awarded the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Air Medal with 4 Oak leaf clusters, and 5 Air Medals—documenting extensive time in a helicopter in the combat theater. After being deployed in combat in Vietnam for 33 months, Richard was Honorably discharged and returned home. But he didn’t return home the same man.

Richard left Vietnam traumatized, and he still suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The United States Supreme Court has stressed that, before any jury makes a life-or-death decision, it should hear about a person’s “military service” as well as any “struggles to regain normality upon his return from war, including PTSD that could “manifest in impulsive, violent behavior.” Porter v. McCollum, 558 U.S. 30, 41 (2009). Richard’s jury never had the opportunity to hear about his combat service in Vietnam or the horrific trauma he suffered. This is why we have filed a petition in the United States Supreme Court asking the Court to hear Richard’s case.

Even though his current petition to the U.S. Supreme Court remains pending, the Mississippi Supreme Court has set an execution date for Richard for June 25, 2025.

Since being incarcerated, Richard also has been an exemplary inmate. He turned 79 years old on May 25, 2025. Every morning, Richard wakes up early to work. He sometimes cuts grass, and he always cleans the death row unit. Richard has Tier Worker status, a position of trust given to inmates who have shown good behavior and no record violation reports (RVRs) for a long period of time. Richard is a mentor to other inmates, helps guards by cleaning their offices and filing, passes out food trays, and he is known for lessening conflicts among his peers. The remorse he feels for the crime he committed is immense. The moral injury he suffers from his actions in Vietnam and his crime after Vietnam is immeasurable. To prevent this type of crime from ever happening again, Richard has worked with banks and bank security personnel in devising methods and approaches to prevent crimes against banking personnel and their families. Richard has spent every single day trying to make up for his crime. He wants to continue to be a force for good. He seeks only to help others while serving the remainder of his days in prison.