THE longest-serving death row inmate uttered a chilling set of last words with his dying breath.

Richard Jordan, 79, spent almost five decades waiting to die – and was finally killed by lethal injection on Wednesday.

Jordan kidnapped and killed a bank loan officer’s wife called Edwina Marter in a violent ransom plot in 1976.

The Vietnam veteran, who suffered from PTSD, was denied his final appeals by the Supreme Court.

The execution at at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman began at 6pm, according to prison officials.

Jordan lay on the gurney with his mouth slightly ajar and took several deep gulps of air before becoming still.

The time of death was given as 6:16 p.m.

Upon having the chance to deliver a final statement on Wednesday, he expressed: “First, I would like to extend my gratitude to everyone for handling this in a humane manner. I want to extend my apologies to the victims’ family.”

Jordan’s wife Marsha and his lawyer Krissy Nobile were at the execution, and dabbed their eyes several times as it took place.

He them both and asked for forgiveness.

His final words were: “I will see you on the other side, all of you.”

Jordan was one of several on the state’s death row who had attempted to sue over its three-drug execution protocol – which he claimed is inhumane.

Following the execution, during a news conference, Keith Degruy, a representative for Marter’s family, delivered a statement on behalf of Charles and their two sons, who were not present at the execution.

It read: “Nothing will bring back our mom, sister and our friend. Nothing can ever change what Jordan took from us 49 years ago.

“Jordan tried desperately to change his ruling so he can simply die in prison. We never had an option.”

According to the Mississippi Supreme Court records, in January 1976, Jordan contacted the Gulf National Bank in Gulfport, seeking to speak with a loan officer.

After being given a name – Charles Marter – as someone who could speak to him, Jordan looked up his home address.

He went round to the house where he found Edwina and kidnapped her, records show.

According to court records, Jordan took her to a forest and fatally shot her before calling her husband, claiming she was safe and demanding $25,000.

Jordan’s execution was just the third in the state in the last 10 years – with the last one in December 2022.

However, a man was executed in Florida the day before Jordan.

Eric Marter, 11 when his mother was killed, said that other family members were planning on attending the execution.

He said: “It should have happened a long time ago.

“I’m not really interested in giving him the benefit of the doubt.

“He needs to be punished.”

Jordan was one of 22 people sentenced in the 1970s who were still on death row at the beginning of this year, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

His execution ended a decades of wrangling in the courts which encompassed four trials and numerous appeals.

On Monday, the Supreme Court rejected a petition that argued he was denied due process rights.

His lawyer, Krissy Nobile, said: “He was never given what for a long time the law has entitled him to, which is a mental health professional that is independent of the prosecution and can assist his defense.”

She claimed that his jury never got to hear about his Vietnam experiences.