JACKSON COUNTY, Ga. — They were just kids when their father, Donnie Lance, was convicted of brutally killing their mother.
As adults, Jessie Lance and Stephanie Cape, say their dad has always been a big part of their lives, despite being behind bars.
"We have always included Daddy in every major decision in our lives. We are closer to our father in prison than a lot of our friends are to their fathers who live near them," the two wrote in a letter to the State Parole Board.
But the relief they sought didn't come. Tuesday, the board denied Lance's request for clemency. His execution is scheduled for Wednesday night.
Lance was convicted of the 1997 killing of his ex-wife, Sabrina "Joy" Lance, and her boyfriend, Dwight "Butch" Wood, Jr. in Jackson County. Prosecutors said Wood was shot twice with a shotgun, while Joy was beaten to death.
Several witnesses testified that Lance had repeatedly threatened to kill Joy if she divorced him or was romantically involved with Butch and that Lance had also beaten and threatened to kill Butch's wife and several other persons related to Joy.
In 2019, Lance's lawyers took his case to the United States Supreme Court, but the highest court in the land chose not to hear his appeal.
Lance's two adult children, who have already lost their mom, are now praying for a miracle to save the only parent they have left.
"We have spent our whole lives with this huge gaping hole in our hearts, but at least we've had dad at our sides," the kids wrote to the state board.
"It's almost impossible to imagine that it could get worse."
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