article_snippet: Gissendaner began writing letters to hire a third person who would falsely confess to taking Gissendaner to the crime scene at gunpoint.
article_snippet: Gissendaner asked Gissendaner cellmate, Laura McDuffie, to find someone willing to do the job for $10,000, and McDuffie turned Gissendaner letters over to authorities via Gissendaner attorney.
article_snippet: In the clemency application, Gissendaner's lawyers argued Gissendaner was equally or less culpable than Owen, who actually did the killing.
article_snippet: Both defendants were offered identical plea bargains before trial: life in prison with an agreement to not seek parole for 25 years.
article_snippet: Gissendaner was willing to plead guilty, Gissendaner's lawyers said, but consulted with Gissendaner trial lawyer and asked prosecutors to remove the stipulation about waiting 25 years to apply for parole.
article_snippet: According to Gissendaner clemency appeal, Gissendaner lead trial attorney, Edwin Wilson, said Gissendaner thought the jury would not sentence Gissendaner to death "because Gissendaner was a woman and because Gissendaner did not actually kill Doug.
article_snippet: I should have pushed Gissendaner to take the plea but did not because I thought we would get straight up life if Gissendaner was convicted.