ATLANTA - Following a meeting to consider clemency for condemned inmate Carlton Michael Gary, and after thoroughly considering all of the facts and circumstances of the case, the State Board of Pardons and Paroles has denied clemency in the case.

The Superior Court of Muscogee County has ordered the execution of Gary for the 1977 Columbus murders of Florence Scheible, Martha Thurmond and Kathleen Woodruff.  The Georgia Department of Corrections has scheduled the execution to take place by lethal injection on Thursday, March 15, 2018, at 7 p.m. at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson.

In August of 1986, Gary was convicted in Muscogee County of three counts of malice murder, three counts of rape and three counts of burglary and sentenced to death. The Georgia Supreme Court denied Gary’s appeal on December 1, 2017, and his motion for reconsideration was denied on January 16, 2018. The United States Supreme Court has denied all previous appeals in the case.

Today’s meeting was held to receive information for or against clemency. The board members have been reviewing the parole case file on Gary for the past several weeks and, prior to today’s meeting; the Board had reviewed the application requesting clemency for Gary.

The Board maintains a comprehensive file on each death row inmate. The file contains the history of the life of the condemned inmate, including the inmate’s criminal history and the circumstances of the crimes committed resulting in the death sentence.

In Georgia, the Parole Board has the sole constitutional authority to grant clemency in a death penalty case.

To view a photo of Carlton Michael Gary, go to www.gdc.georgia.gov, click on Find an Offender, agree to the terms on the disclaimer page and search by the offender’s EF number, 197140.

For more information please contact Steve Hayes, Communications Director, at 404-657-9450 or [email protected] or visit our website at www.pap.georgia.gov.

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