A Georgia man who killed his wife with the help of an accomplice and spent 33 years on death row has been executed. Jack Alderman was convicted of beating his wife Barbara with a crescent wrench, choking her and leaving her body under water in the bathtub.Alderman was the third inmate executed in Georgia since a brief moratorium over the issue of lethal injection was ended by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Alderman remained on Georgia's death row longer than any other inmate because his original conviction was overturned on appeal. But he was convicted again in 1984 and again received the death penalty.
His accomplice John Arthur Brown, who beat Barbara Alderman with the wrench, was paroled in 1987. He died in 2000 in New York a free man.
Parole Board Denies Clemency
Those who promoted clemency for Alderman pointed to his 33 years as a model prisoner who was a mentor to other inmates. They also pointed out that his accomplice was paroled 21 years ago.
"Brown didn't have a lick of character and the same board that refused clemency for Alderman this morning offered Brown parole," Alderman's attorney, Michael Seiml said. He [Alderman] has been the model prison for 34 years. If that's not enough to get clemency, it's hard to imagine what is."
However, Chatham County assistant district attorney David Lock said it was Alderman who instigated the crime and his motive was a $10,000 life insurance policy.
"He was more culpable, without him, the crime would not have taken place," Lock said.
See Also:
Georgia Executes Man Who Killed Wife in 1974
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