Ronnie Lee Gardner was sentenced to death in Utah for a murder he committed on April 2, 1985. He is now hours away from death by firing squad. The governor has refused to stay the execution and the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, Colorado has denied the motion to delay the execution. The U.S. Supreme Court has also denied a stay of execution for Gardner.
Gardner will be the third person to be executed by firing squad in Utah since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. He has consumed his last meal. The execution is scheduled for 2 a.m. EST.
Utah is the only state that uses this method of execution.
