Produced as part of HBO's AMERICA UNDERCOVER series, THE EXECUTION OF WANDA JEAN follows the criminal case filed against Wanda Jean Harvey. Harvey was convicted of murder in Oklahoma and executed by lethal injection in 2001, despite lengthy protestations on her behalf due to Harvey's extremely low IQ, which suggested she may not have fully understood her crime. This documentary pores over the various legal procedures tested by Harvey's defenders, and explains why they failed to rescue her from the death penalty. Harvey became the first black woman to be executed in the U.S. in 50 years. Director Liz Garbus creates a hugely sympathetic portrait of the case, and includes some heartbreaking footage of Harvey, who somehow managed to retain her dignity right up until her final moments on earth.