New execution date set for Kelly Gissendaner, only woman on Georgia's death row

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Kelly Gissendaner, 46, was convicted of murdering her husband in 1997
February execution was postponed due to 'severe winter weather'
Rescheduled for March but it was cancelled as drug appeared 'cloudy'
Now, lethal injection procedure is booked in for September 29 in Jackson

By Mia De Graaf and Sophie Jane Evans For Dailymail.com

Published: 09:05 EST, 21 September 2015 | Updated: 17:03 EST, 21 September 2015

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Kelly Renee Gissendaner, convicted of murdering her husband, was due to receive the lethal injection on February 25 then March 2, and now September 29

The Georgia Department of Corrections has set a new execution date for the only woman on the state's death row.

Kelly Renee Gissendaner, convicted of murdering her husband, was first sentenced to receive the lethal injection on February 25 this year, but that was delayed because of a threat of winter weather.

The procedure was rescheduled for March 2, but faced another setback as the drug appeared, inexplicably, to be 'cloudy'.

Now, the 46-year-old has finally been booked to receive the dose of pentobarbital on September 29 in a Jackson prison - becoming the first woman to be executed in Georgia in 70 years.

Gissendaner was convicted of murder in the February 1997 slaying of her husband. Prosecutors say she conspired with her lover, who stabbed Douglas Gissendaner to death.

Before the second scheduled procedure in March, Gissendaner ate what was meant to be her last meal: two Burger King Whoppers, two large portions of fries, cornbread, a salad drenched in buttermilk, popcorn and cherry-vanilla ice cream.

But out of 'an abundance of caution', officials said, they decided to cancel the operation at the last minute.

'Prior to the execution the drugs were sent to an independent lab for testing of potency,' a Department of Corrections spokesman told the Gwinnett Daily Post.

'The drugs fell within the acceptable testing limits. Within the hours leading up to the scheduled execution, the execution team performed the necessary checks. At that time, the drugs appeared cloudy.

'The Department of Corrections immediately consulted with a pharmacist, and in an abundance of caution, inmate Gissendaner’s execution has been postponed.'

More than 100 protesters were gathered outside the prison where Gissendaner was to be executed, pleading with officials to spare the mother-of-three's life.

Her attorneys had recently launched a final attempt to persuade the state's Board of Pardons and Paroles to commute her death sentence to life without parole.

Nearly 400 clergy members, who signed the petition, had highlighted Gissendaner's acceptance of 'full responsibility' for her crime, as well as her graduation from the program for incarcerated women at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, through which she became a teacher.

However, the board announced it was standing by its February 25 decision to deny clemency to Gissendaner.

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'Final meal': Gissendaner ate what was meant to be her last meal in March: two Burger King Whoppers, two large portions of fries, cornbread, a salad drenched in buttermilk, popcorn and cherry-vanilla ice cream

Murder: Gissendaner (pictured, left, in her arrest mugshot from 1997) is due to be executed for plotting the murder of her husband, Douglas. However, her boyfriend Gregory Owen (right) who carried out the deed, will be eligible for parole in eight years after accepting a life sentence and testifying against Gissendaner in trial

It said it had voted to abide by its earlier decision after 'careful consideration' of her case. The Supreme Court was still deciding whether to grant a stay of execution on Monday night.

Douglas Gissendaner's parents and sisters wanted her to be executed, but two of Kelly and Douglas' three children asked the parole board to spare her life, according to her lawyers.

In statements submitted with their mother's clemency application, Kayla and Dakota Gissendaner described a journey from bitterness and anger to forgiveness.