Governor Corbett Signs Execution Warrant for Philadelphia Killer

HARRISBURG, Pa., Nov. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Governor Tom Corbett signed an execution warrant Tuesday for Ralph Birdsong, who was sentenced to death for killing two Philadelphia residents.

Birdsong, of Philadelphia, was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder for killing Gloria Pannell, 36, and James Bagwell, 18. The two were killed in July 1988 when Birdsong went into a Philadelphia home, shooting at the occupants.   

He was convicted and sentenced to death in October 1989.

Birdsong, now 50, is held at the State Correctional Institution at Graterford. His execution by lethal injection is scheduled for Jan. 17, 2012.

This warrant, one of two signed Tuesday, is Corbett's ninth execution warrant.

Media contact:  Janet Kelley, 717-783-1116

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor