Bio

Jessie Lee Wise was born on April 8, 1953. Growing up, he faced a challenging childhood. Not much detail is known about his early years, but like many individuals who later commit crimes, his environment may have played a role in shaping his future. As a young man, Wise engaged in various activities that brought him into contact with the law.

At the age of 18, he committed his first murder. In January 1972, he was convicted for killing Ralph Gianino, a plastering contractor. Wise was sentenced to life in prison but was paroled in 1984 after serving 12 years.

After his release, Wise struggled to adjust to life outside prison. He found work as a maintenance man, which allowed him access to various properties and people. His unstable lifestyle and previous criminal history may have continued to influence his choices.

Wise’s later years involved troubling behavior. Reports suggest that he used drugs, which could have contributed to his poor decision-making. By the time he committed his second murder in 1988, he was in deep financial trouble and resorted to desperate measures.

His actions led to his arrest on August 30, 1988, where he was linked to the murder of Geraldine McDonald through physical evidence and his own confession. The complexity of his life and choices culminated in a trajectory that would eventually lead to his conviction and execution in 1999.

Murder Story

On August 27, 1988, Jessie Lee Wise attacked Geraldine McDonald in her apartment in Clayton, Missouri. Wise worked as a custodian in the apartment complex where McDonald lived. He approached her to ask for thirty dollars in advance to wash her car. When she declined, he followed her down the hallway. Using a pipe wrench, Wise struck her several times in the head, killing her. After the attack, Wise stole money, jewelry, and credit cards from McDonald's apartment.

Over the following days, Wise returned to the apartment to take more of her jewelry and also stole her car. He later traded some of the jewelry for cocaine and pawned the rest. McDonald’s body was discovered two days later by her husband and daughters, lying face down in a pool of blood in the doorway of her master bedroom. The pipe wrench was found on a chair nearby.

Law enforcement investigated, and on August 30, 1988, they located McDonald’s car parked near Wise's residence. During their search of his apartment, they found her car keys, credit cards, and a pawn ticket for some of her jewelry. Wise confessed to police during his interrogation, detailing his desperate need for money at the time of the murder. He told them he realized he could not leave the apartment empty-handed after the attack.

In January 1972, Wise had been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Ralph Gianino. This prior conviction influenced the court's decision during Wise's trial for the murder of Geraldine McDonald. In December 1990, Wise was found guilty of first-degree murder for the McDonald case, leading to a death sentence in March 1991. Along with that, he received multiple life sentences and additional years for robbery and stealing a motor vehicle.

The execution was carried out via lethal injection on May 26, 1999, in Missouri. Wise's case drew significant attention due to his history of violence and the brutal nature of his crimes.