Death of Gloria Leathers

Seven years after the tragic death of Dedra Pettus, Wanda Allen resided with her girlfriend Gloria Jean Leathers. Their relationship, which began in prison, was characterized by turmoil and violence. On December 2, 1988, a domestic event unfolded as Leathers, aged 29, was shot in front of The Village Police Department in Oklahoma City. Just fifteen minutes prior to the shooting, the two women were engaged in a confrontation at a local grocery store. A city officer intervened and accompanied them back to their residence, where Leathers gathered her belongings under the officer’s supervision. Before departing, Allen implored Leathers to remain and address their issues. However, as Leathers exited the house, she wielded a garden rake and struck Allen in the face with it. Subsequently, Leathers and her mother left to file a complaint against Allen. Allen pursued them, claiming she sought to prevent Leathers from departing. Upon approaching Leathers in the parking lot and noticing she still held the rake, Allen retrieved a gun from her car. When Leathers advanced towards her, Allen discharged a single shot that inflicted a severe wound on Leathers. Tragically, Leathers succumbed to her injuries three days later on December 5, 1988. The shooting was witnessed by Leathers’ mother, but no police personnel observed the incident. Law enforcement recovered a .38-caliber handgun believed to be the weapon used in the shooting near the women’s residence.

Gloria J. Leathers Grave

Grave / Memorial Limited Access Easy walk

Gloria J. Leathers grave.

Image Taken From: Green Acres Memorial Gardens, 12410 N Yale Ave, Skiatook, OK 74070, USA

Latitude: 36.33395 Longitude: -95.92011

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Execution of Wanda Jean Allen

After spending 12 years on death row, Allen’s request for clemency was rejected. During her time in prison, she embraced Christianity. The Reverend Robin Meyers, who acted as her spiritual advisor, believes that Allen’s decision to denounce her homosexuality was influenced by her pursuit of clemency and appeal, as she understood the societal stigma attached to being a lesbian, especially within the black community.

Allen was executed by lethal injection in Oklahoma on January 11, 2001. Twenty-four family members of the victims attended her execution, watching from behind a tinted window. Before her death, Allen expressed forgiveness towards her executioners and shared a moment of camaraderie with her appeal lawyer, David Presson. Despite the somber occasion, Presson noted Allen’s lighthearted demeanor during the process. The relatives of the victims found closure in Allen’s execution.

Wanda Allen Grave

Grave / Memorial Limited Access Easy walk

Wanda Jean Allen grave.

Image Taken From: Trice Hill Cemetery, 3801 NE 50th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73121

Latitude: 35.5228862 Longitude: -97.4469698

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Oklahoma City has changed considerably in the 40+ years since this story first started to unfold. It is no longer a slow midwest city, it is a rapidly growing metropolis that is vastly different than it was back in the 1980’s, and as a result many of the locations associated with this case are no longer there.