I don't understand why it matters how we dispose of people on death row. Did they take out their victims humanely? Probably not. So they shouldn't get special treatment.

Actually we should dispose of them the same way that they do their victims in, no matter how vicious that may be.

Whats good for the goose is good for the gander

It's not necessary to be vicious. The death penalty should be meted out with honor and respect, and in many circles, a firing squad is considered reflective of such.

The firing squad, ah the good old days, when bad men were punished and the good guys were free!

Hey, Utah ----- The only injustice here is that execution of this "reformed", admitted killer, is that his end is coming 25 years PAST DUE. Execution of death row inmates needs to speed up to accommodate ALL death row executions to be carried out within five years MAXIMUM !

Good riddance & I wish they had this in Cali 8) I wish they would televise it..We have plenty of sick bastards in Cali who need this time of treatment...

Execution of death row inmates needs to speed up to accommodate ALL death row executions to be carried out within five years MAXIMUM !

Given the number of trials and average length of appeals that will NEVER happen.

People are entitled to their legal rights for trials/appeal, that takes time.

Unless we greatly increase taxes to fund even more courts and lawyers.

What kind of life it must be to sit behind bars, knowing they're going to kill you, and to the last do everything you can to avoid the fruit of your deeds. It's like those who only know dysfunction can only be dysfunctional. A painful past does not validate a violent present. Still, the two are linked without remedy. This underscores the reality that we ALL need to be involved in each others lives, and be a savior of sorts to those at risk. Period. Otherwise, we will have people such as these in our societies.

We need to execute the scum bag lawyers that have made a joke of our justice system. This man and all those on death row, should be executed in a timely manner. Not after the lawyers have stolen every dime from the taxpayers with appeal after appeal because they are too inept to do their jobs.

wompus,

That is truly a profound statement, I agree.

Johnny92078

How come Islamic militants (moslems) get a slap on the wrist and a apology and this American gets to die? Truly Amazing. Oh well, it's Utah.

What the hell is wrong with you? You post an ignorant question like that, post no examples referencing anything. What was the the point? to stir up confusion?

We should be executing a lot more of them a lot faster.

Goodbye, Good Riddance. Same man or not, what you did was reprehensible. I just cannot understand why you were aloowed to live another 25 years. THAT also is a Crime.

Many criticize that style of justice as being archaic.......................................THAT'S THE MANNER OF EXECUTION HE CHOSE!!!!

Give me a friggin' break.

Shoot him in the balls!

Moveright:

Unfortunately, this is an extremely clean and quick way of execution and I don't care if anyone thinks differently.

Four bullets to the heart.

Riverdog - I have to agree. It will be difficult to mess up this execution. But I also have to agree 25 years is way too long to wait to complete the appeals process. If we truely value human life, then we must have the courage to end life when that life has ruthlessly taken the lives of innocent people living their daily lives. Capital causes resulting in the death penality must be granted automatic appeals and expedited processes up through the Supreme Court not to exceed 5 years.

F the fool...if he was witnessed during the killing at the courthouse then he should have been "disappeared" the next morning at around 7:23 am...send the Dominos pizza in at midnight and play the sounds of a firing squad all night until his time...if you are witnessed by more than 10 people and video then forget the "appeal" bullshyte

Real World Engineer - The only thing those animals are ENTITLED to is to Die.

NordicChicMN

That black guy in Ohio, I think it was, a few months ago they were trying to give him the lethal injection & could not ever get it right!! I can't understand why they can get it right in all of these animals, but can't seem to do it w/ humans.

That had absolutely nothing to do with incompetence. It had everything to do with the fact that the individual was a very long term chronic intravenous drug user (even continuing while he was in prison awaiting his execution), and he had basically collapsed all of his major veins years ago. They could have very simply stuck it in his neck. But there would have been an almost non stop protest about THAT being cruel and unusual. Even though he himself was daily sticking needles in his neck.

To be executed by firing squad in utah one must request it. Otherwise it's by lethal injection.

"If someone hates me for 20 years, it's going to affect them," Gardner said. "I know killing me is going to hurt them just as bad.

Well, hopefully it will hurt YOU worse, this time...

The odd thing is he selected the firing squad 2 times. It was his original request and when they changed the law to remove it as a choice they were forced to grandfather it in as an option for those who already choose it. I am guessing the grandfathering option had to do with his legal rights at that time. When deciding, he picked it again.

I'd rather be shot then go through lethal injection.

Before everyone goes off the deep end regarding the type of death to be carried out here. Remember, the convicted was given two options, death by lethal injection or the firing squad. The convicted voluntarily chose the firing squad. This is not archiac or unnecessary; it is a qualified by jury death sentence to be carried out in a manner chosen by the convicted.

I'm sure the victims would have liked a choice; preferably life; however, that choice was stripped from the murdered victims. Regardless of form, there are always consequences for all actions including murder. My prayers are with all involved - the victims family to finally have closure and peace; and the convicted - prayers for mercy at his judgement in the afterlife.

God has no right to forgive this man, or ask for it from others. You and I are not the proud owners of righteousness to even contemplate forgiveness for this man. There are only few with this right.

His victims.

king,

don't think it is your place to tell God what He can and cannot do. Satan tried that and well we know his fate. You lookin for the same?

So True!!!!! If authorities did not want to deal with him long ago, they are worse than him to stay in charge. Sniffing gasoline a age ?. We made the gasoline we should have had to deal with the effects then.

Thank goodness the Constitution protects prisoners from cruel and unusual punishments.

The firing squad is ok if that is what the state has. But prisoners are entitled to a humane eexecution no matter what happened to the victims.

Too bad his VICTIMS were not protected. Why are prisoners (DOUBLE MURDERERS) entitled to a humane execution? Why?

What we needed was justice - swift and sure.

Old Sparky would be a fitting end to this dirt bag as well! BZZZTTT "AAEEEIEIEE!!! ahhh" Works for me!

King - if God doesn't have the right to forgive this man, then who does? Who is higher than God? No, you can't put words and/or actions in the mouth of God - trco was correct, it's not your place. Many people are able to forgive, and I hand it to them because I'm sure that's not an easy thing to do.

It sounds like this guy is feeling awfully sorry for himself now, what with a little more than 24 hours to go. Now he wants to open a facility for at risk kids? How dumb is this guy? Just get it over with. If he chose the firing squad in his right mind, which he did, I guess he's getting shot to death.

Personally though, I'd hate to be one of the shooters. I don't know if I could do that. I realize they use so many people to shoot so that no one suuposedly knows who made the kill shot, but it's actually quite easy to figure out. Not sure I could live with the fact that I pulled the trigger... even if I missed. They really should take the firing squad off the table of options for death - as apparently even this dude is having second thoughts.

Too late now sucka!

King - if God doesn't have the right to forgive this man, then who does?

Um........Papa Smurf?

King-if God doesn't have the right to forgive this man, then who does? I don't know but he'll be meeting them in a few hours!

To everyone looking for God I know where he is. Go to prison because everyone there seems to find him. He now says if released he would never commit another crime. I think they have a way to make him not commit another crime for sure. So someone else will have to run that 160 acre farm.

To everyone looking for God I know where he is. Go to prison because everyone there seems to find him.

LMAO, yep, funny how that works. He must be like Santa and able to be in multiple places at once.

Lmasure...

I'll volunteer!

Bye bye, beotch!

"If 'twere done, 'tis best done quickly"

Please.

If it were done when 'tis done than 'twere well it were done quickly.

Lady MacBeth

Perhaps the finest example of alliteration and consonance in English.

Gotta get it right.

I'm sure he executed his victims in humane manner. Instead of actually killing scum like him, perhaps the libs would feel better if we simply OD'ed him on iced cream and steak untill his heart gave out from high cholesterol. .308 round, 30 cents. 25 years of high cholesterol foods, $182, 500. Pass the .308 please.

"It's unfair that he will be executed without a full and fair review of his case."

He has had 25 years to get a full and fair review of his case. What the hell has he been doing for the last quarter century then?

What is there to review. He pleaded guilty to one murder, and committed the other in a court full of witnesses. He should have been dead decades ago. There needs to be a 5 year limit on appeals. If a person cannot win an appeal within 5 years, then off with their head.

All this crap with making one appeal after another, in a serial fashion, just to eat up time is crazy. Make all your appeals at once. Having one, then waiting years for it to wind through the courts, then when you lose, launching another one, and waiting years more, has got to stop.

They should shoot him in the head, from the back in a kneeling position because that's what this dirt bag deserves!

Yes, and I believe that is what he was telling them in his appeals. Justice delayed is justice denied.

Didn't you people read the article? He REQUESTED the firing squad.

In April, Gardner politely told a judge, "I would like the firing squad, please."

I'm sorry....crack,crack,crack,krackcrack.

• Uhggg. fade to black...

The guy was definitely a dirt-bag, but I don't believe in the death penalty. Certainly didn't think I would ever see the day when WWII era Nazi Germany and Soviet Union methods of execution would be used in the U.S.A. I mean, multiple .30 cal bullets? One .30 cal from a sniper is enough to kill you if shot in the right spot...seems like overkill (pardon the pun).

I heard the news on my way home. Mr Gardner got his lead therapy! Adios!!

The man chose firing squad. Perhaps he didn't want to be drugged before being given a poison to stop his heart. Personally, if I had to die by execution, I would like the same option. I don't know how lethal injection is more humane. Guillotine seems the quickest way to go.

MS-85, apparently you do not know US History. People were executed by firinf squad during the Civil War for desertion, some with ball and cap ammo. This was a lot more messy than a 30 cal bullet. The idea of multiple shooters is so none of them know who had the blank, so they can't be sure they were the one who shot the guy. Also, they have multiple shooters to make sure he dies quickly. One shooter slighty off or even on target still doesn't mean a quick death. He would have to suffer, even though some would like it that way, I just want sentence carried out quickly.

This whole story is very disturbing. He killed 2 people and perhaps a 3rd. He deserves to die.

But my god. Found wandering at 2 years old, drug addicted at 6 years old (staggering that any kid could be drug addicted at 6 years old), taught to rob at age 10 by his step father.

After reading this I believe his step father should have been executed along with his mother. How could he have been anything but what he was. This person didn't create his environment at 6 years old. He was subject to whatever came his way. Taught by his father figure to rob at the age of 10?

Find his parents, and his step father and execute them.

I was surprised to find out it was a Winchester 94 .30-30 that was used. I would have assumed they would use a more modern rifle.

"We are disappointed with the court's decisions, declining to hear Mr. Gardner's case," one of his attorneys, Megan Moriarty, said in a statement to The Associated Press. "It's unfair that he will be executed without a full and fair review of his case."

unfair? i guess his victims were treated fair when he killed them in cold blood? Nah, i dont feel bad he was shot to death. good riddance to bad rubbish.

Doctor Larry,

First of all in a statement I am sure will provoke the wrath of the vine, I am opposed to capital punishment. I don't think the state has any more right to kill its citizens than its citizens have the right to kill each other. However, that being said, prisoners are entitled to a humane execution because we are not a barbaric society. If we succumb to the understandable but purely emotional impulse to kill them as barbarically as they killed their victims, how are we better than they are? That's why we also don't let the vicitm or victim's family decide the method of execution. The appeals process should take exactly as long as it takes because it is better to let 20 guilty men live than to kill one innocent man. The state, if it is going to engage in acts of retributional killing, should do so carefully, unemotionally and rationally, based on evidence and certitude, not fear and anger. The state should not kill as an act of revenge but as an act of protection - having determined that they only way society at large can be protected from this person is to execute them.

Okay y'all let the bile flow.

Nah Nah Nah Na, Nah Nah Nah Na, Hey! hey! hey! Goooooood Byeeeeeee!

One was loaded with a blank so no one knows who fired the fatal shot.

How stupid is that statement. ONE gun has a blank. The certified police officers are standing 25 feet away and there is only THE fatal shot? What happened to the other three live rounds?

Sandbags stacked behind Gardner's chair kept the bullets from ricocheting around the cinderblock room.

I now understand the purpose of the sandbags - for the three cops that can't hit the mark.

Absolutely!!

Real World Engineer - re. 1.8

People are entitled to their legal rights for trials/appeal, that takes time.

How many appeals were they able to attempt in the last few months? MANY. Granted, it takes time to try or appeal a case. But the real crux is that the lawyers have to try to appeal. Waiting until the deadlines and then whining because they were rushed or didn't have enough time is BS.

The constitution guarantees the right to a speedy trial. Unfortunately, it doesn't guarantee the right to a speedy execution of the verdict - in this case, execution. Obviously many on this site feel that a quarter century was plenty of time for the appeals.

Joemike404 --- Well said even though I do support the death penelty in some cases.

Our laws were set up as they are for just that reason because it is better to let the guilty walk than to execute or imprison an innocent, with the idea that if guilty ythey will probably commit another crime for which they WILL be punished. As for firing squad it would be my 1st choice ( other than dying in my sleep from old age. :) I do think since this murder happened in front of a whole court room full of witnesses including a judge, bailiffs and spectators and was caught on video the appeals process should have been much shorter ( like 24 years shorter ) As for caliber of the rifles .30-.30 is fine why use anything bigger so the sand bags are really needed. We are only talking 25 feet here. I'm suprised they don't use pistols at that range.

"We are disappointed with the court's decisions, declining to hear Mr. Gardner's case," one of his attorneys, Megan Moriarty, said in a statement to The Associated Press. "It's unfair that he will be executed without a full and fair review of his case."

You gotta be kidding me. Only a sh!tbag lawyer would think that 25 years worth of legal BS wasn't enough.

The whole "kill them like they killed people" thing bothers me. We are suposed to be better then the guilty party.

Where are you going to find people willing to, rape, torture, stab, battered, run over, people to death? What kind of people would you be creating?

The death penalty is good imo. Not to scare people, but to remove the most horrible of people, but in a humane manner.

A barrage of bullets? How many bullets make up a barrage? I would think more than four well placed bullets that were simultaneous.

i agree with WychDoctor George. It should have been after the crime. God -- we leave the criminals in jail for 20 + years .. PAY for their housing.. 3 meals a day.,,, ac & heating,, some are allowed jobs to make money.

If you commit a crime such as murder,,, are convicted of it (& its clear as day you were the guilty one).. then be done & over with it. There would be less overcrowding of jails... & maybe the criminals would think twice on their actions if there was more of threat then a comfy life behind bars!

For the people here saying that twenty-five years was needed to make sure that they weren't executing an innocent man...You do understand that when he was on trial for the first murder, he attempted to escape, wrestled a gun away from a court officer, put the gun in a lawyer's face and pulled the trigger? This was done in front of a packed courtroom of people who saw the whole thing. Exactly how might they have "had the wrong guy"?

What gets me is the wording that the liberal MSN uses; "Death-row inmate dies in a barrage of bullets".... It was 4 shots from 5 rifles- one of those rounds was a blank!

Call a spade a spade MSN. Just say it straight WITH OUT ANY SPIN of LIBERAL OVER TONES!!!

Better yet 1American Patriot " Double murderer is executed by firing squad,per his request"!!!

Unless we greatly increase taxes to fund even more courts and lawyers......

Um, Sir??? It's BECAUSE of the froggin Lawyers that it TAKES so darned long to do anything!! If ANYTHING, we need LESS of them!!! We're the most "lawyered" nation on earth!!!

And American Patriot, you're right!! If the world was discovered to be ending tomorrow.... thier headline would read......

"World ends Tomorrow!!! Women and Minorities hit hardest!!!" LOL!!!

I find it ironic all these people saying the death penalty is archaic..........I wonder how they would feel if it was their family member who was brutally murdered by one of these sickos... I am betting that they would change their minds then. The most definitely didn't show any mercy to the people they killed why should they get any as they have not earned it and don't deserve it.

I also find it humorous that these wastes of life seem to 'find god' and become remorseful the closer it gets to their hour of reckoning. As their death day gets closer they are all of a sudden remorseful and feel bad about what they did. Seems to me that the only reason any of them is remorseful is because they got caught and sentenced to die. If they had not been caught they would not be remorseful at all and would have continued. If they had only got life in prison they would not be remorseful they would be whining about the brand of peanut butter served to them in jail.

We give more rights to the convicted criminal than we give to the victims and regular citizens it sickens me that their rights are thought of first instead of the victims and their families. The people against the death penalty have their politically correct heads stuck up their behinds. We have bent so far over to give criminals more rights we have taken them away from the law abiding citizen. Time to get it right and mete out justice in a timely fashion not 25 years later. The criminal got 25 extra years to live......what did the victim get.......nothing buried and forgotten about by everyone but their family while the focus goes on the criminal that killed them.........just a bit backwards people.

1 American Patriot:

Actually, it's an AP piece.

But whatever the AP's views are, I tend agree with your assessment. Because a "barrage" is not even the right word to use. Barrage means continuos. I'm no English wizard, but even I knew that.

It's as if they want the reader to envision it as him being gunned him down with 4 machine guns. It wasn't like that at all. His heart exploded X 4... in an instant.

How does that go? "Revenge is mine, sayeth the Lord." Unless you're better than God, don't think it's ever okay to take a life. The commandment is "Thou shalt not murder." This is state-sanctioned murder. Was he a bad guy-hell, yes! Are we any better for killing him-hell, no! And all of you crazies can just follow him to his eternal fate-you're no better than he is; you just haven't had the opportunity to pull the trigger yet!

So some decry this execution by firing squad as barbaric, do they? Well, I have news for them… All executions are barbaric, but necessary. Actually, I would have preferred that they hung him.

Barrage I ask? Hail of gunfire I say?...It was 4...4 - 30 cal bullets...fired 25 feet from his chest. He felt nothing. He got off easy as did the pathetic girl in Seattle. Yeah that one...the one that forgot what respect for authority is. This has nothing to do with God or being barbaric or skin color. It has everything to do with people who were bad and the hammer was dropped upon them.

Ski-799640 your pathetic

He got off easy as did the pathetic girl in Seattle.

Except she's alive.

I have jut read this article on the death row inmate i don't believe it is barberic at all if the inmate himself perfered to be shot, but if the method was stilll used i would perfer it more than Lethal injection the fact of a slow death even though painless seems a little more disturbing than a faster death as for example the firing squad.

Next!

God -- we leave the criminals in jail for 20 + years .. PAY for their housing.. 3 meals a day.,,, ac & heating,, some are allowed jobs to make money.

That's because prison is a for-profit business, especially with the failed "War on Drugs".

That being said, 25 years is much too long. Either get rid of the Death Penalty as an option or grow a set and execute these killers within 5 years.

How scary is it to hear: "You have been sentenced to DEATH! It will happen in about 25 years or so. Now go live in FEAR!"

C'mon. Ridiculous.

"Hail of bullets"? What, was he in a shootout with somebody? All I can say is "Yaaaay!" Does this sound vicious and cruel? Maybe. To those who self-righteously claim that executions are barbaric - know this: It is more barbaric to reward and defend vicious murderers and show contempt for victims and their families. These bastards expect you sentimental sob-sisters to scream and chant for their "rights" but would slit your throats in a heartbeat. A 'changed man" my ass! The death penalty is not supposed to be a deterrent. It's a punishment and rightfully so.

and this is newsworthy because......???

No country who wants to be considered civilized, can have the death penalty.

Full stop.

Ergo the USA have a long long way still do go.

From what I read, he had a choice and he chose the firing squad. No matter how you die, you'll go through anticipation of death and all that goes with it. If I saw one of my loved ones, maimed, cut up, butchered, or died in my arms, I'm ask for 1 of the rifles myself. No problem for me. It'd give me great closure. No hood for him, look right in my eyes, know what I'm going to do, then, I'll do it.

I agree, and I am very glad to see it done!!!

My question to the MSNBC crew who do the headlines.....How many in a 'hail'? What quantity of bullets comprises a hail? There were 4 riflemen with one shell each...of which one was a blank..so does three simultaneous bullets make a 'hail'? I always thought of a hail of bullets as a sustained volley of shells coming from a series of positions towards a number of targets, simulating a hail storm where there are a number of hailstones raining down from all directions and landing in all places. Apparently I was wrong and the learned 'newsmen' of MSNBC have rewritten the term to better reflect their points of view....or maybe they are just full of ****.

"One was loaded with a blank so no one knows who fired the fatal shot."

Isn't it that ALL but one are loaded with blanks so that no one knows who shot the fatal shot? I think this story is incorrect.

For all those implying it should have happened a long time ago..you really need to consider all those innocent people who really have been proven NOT guilty after sitting in prison 15-20 years and let off of death row right at the last minute because some new evidence popped up. What if our government decided to make five years the max and let's just say your child, sibling, spouse,..whoever were in the wrong place at the wrong time - falsely accused of such a crime because of obscure evidence - put on death row and never given a chance to prove their innocence before you had to tell them good bye for the last time. I am not saying this guy specifically was innocent in anyway and I believe every victim has a right to justice but we really as a humane society can't just "jump the gun" and kill someone because a jury of our peers decide they are guilty. I agree this guy deserved to be executed but every case is so different and you just never really know in certain cases what the "real" story is. Basically all I mean is think about what you are saying and many of you will say justice is justice but I personally believe at least 10% of the people behind bars are not supposed to be there and possibly more. Our justice system is not perfect...and it never will be but we have to do the best we can to ensure innocent people are not being killed for someone else's crime.

I agree with you, Mamaoftwo. Unfortunately this site is plagued with self-righteous hypocrites, who think it is their full fledged right and duty to mete out VENGEANCE (not justice) as they see fit. They should tread carefully though, justice does have it's way of evening it all out in the end.

MAMA - his murder was WITNESSED by over ten people. In this case, your comment is irrelevant.

As to the police marksmen - please note that each one VOLUNTEERED for the task.

This mutant scum chose the firing squad because he is a COWARD and KNEW that he'd likely crap his pants with lethal injection - MUCH MORE SCARY In my opinion! And like all murderers, this one was also a COWARD at heart. He was going to fast. WHY? He was afraid that his bowels would open up before the bullets reached his loathesome heart. I am glad for the family of the murdered victim(s) that this degenerate is now in 'eternal solitary confinement". Of course the Supremes didi NOT intervene. Their decisions have MADE it QUITE Clear - The Death Penality is LEGAL in our Country. While rarely enacted - it remains necessary given our limited resources on this planet PS - the constitution does NOT guarantee that death penalty will prevent fear, anxiety and panic in the condemned (murder of innocent(s). Rather, it is ASSUMED that these negative emotions WILL, in FACT, occur. Just as they occurred in the victims when the murderer wantonly took their lives. Please - all this 'concern' for vermin of the planet. Sorry - I stand by the VICTIMS of murder and NOT by the despicable bottom feeders who KILLED THEM!

May Eternal Solitary Confinement await ALL murderers and their immortal souls.

25 years too late. It should have been at the hands of the intended victim, at the scene of the intended crime. An armed populace would ave stopped this scumbag way back then.

It seems every punk that kills an innocent finds religion and asks f or forgiveness and be allowed to live. Thanks Utah, you removed one more piece of garbage from Earth. This "person" did not deserve freedom, he did not allow his victims to see another day, their children or grandchildren. No loss. thei idea they "found God" frees them from the reward for the crime is bunk. God may forgive, the family may forgive, BUT the punishment is not forgiven. Kill and you will die. end of story. I am supposed to feel sorry for the family of the murderer? No way!

Olivierholes, The story's right. 1 blank and the rest are live ammo. The theory is ---no one knows who has the blank. Most of the time when people get sentenced its, you will be executed until dead. Used to be that the person in charge of the firing squad would walk up at the end, put a pistol to the head, and fire one last round to make sure he's dead. That's where the term "Coup De Grace" comes from. The final shot. As for condemning an innocent man, the shooters didn't do that, the courts did. They just carried out the sentence. I'm sure that history would show that innocent men have been executed. It would also show that guilty men were set free. DNA is as best we have.

They did Gary Gilmore like this. Fast, but very painful. That's the way it ought to be. Do they still do the "blindfold and cigarette" routine?

I agree...

Neale Osborn sorry but it happened in a court room. Even in Utah where we are rated worst in the nation for our gun laws by the Brady center, CCW holders can't carry in a court house.

But your right it would have been better if one of the bailiffs had just shot him instead of wrestling with him. I bet the bailiff wishes he had too.

P.S. Utah keep up the Great work on Firearms laws here. This is how it should be nation wide. :-)

Scott:

Neale Osborn sorry but it happened in a court room. Even in Utah where we are rated worst in the nation for our gun laws by the Brady center, CCW holders can't carry in a court house.

I know it was in a courthouse. For me, that is a big "So What?" It is public property. Therefore, since the taxpayers own it, they can carry there if they want (not according to law, but according to common sense). In my opinion (never a humble one), the 2nd Amendment is specific "The right of the people to keep AND BEAR arms (emphasis mine) shall not be infringed". That means NO rules preventing the carrying of weapons are permitted. Yeah, I know. Someone out there, right now, is typing their exceptions to the rule. In advance, the answer is, NO. Unless you order a drink in a bar, the gun is legal. Order the drink, check the gun OUT OF COMMON SENSE, not law. Federal building? Carry away, you own it. Pirvate property? IF the owner posts no guns, then no guns (and probably no business from me). Otherwise, I'd carry.

I completely agree with the fact that in this case, capital punishment was justified. I agree that it is way overdue, and should have been done 20 years ago. I agree that Gardner is a murderer and deserves to be punished. But when you post, don't assume because you read the article that you know everything. Don't assume that this guy is unavoidably going to hell because of all this. If I used my imperfect human judgment, then yes I would say Gardner is going to hell. God knows everything. I don't. Let's leave the matter with God and try and be a little more human, expressing the kind of mercy we hope God shows us at the last day. The kind of mercy the Savior died to teach us. I'm not by any means suggesting that capital punishment is wrong, in some cases it is certainly justified, including this one. What I am suggesting is we not be as cruel as Gardner. Instead of pretending that he is some kind of animal so we feel better about killing him, let's ask God to bless his soul in the world to come, and pray for God's help that capital punishment is in line with His will.

I really don't hope you who are pro death penalty are Christians... If you are. Shame on you!!!

Clean, quick, effective, and CHEAP!!! The only problem with the death penalty is the system waits too long to go through with it. Guilty conviction, one appeal (two at most). If the appeal(s) fail, execute within 30 days so taxpayers won't have to support them for years.

Rene - you are so correct... it takes forever just to get to the point where all the appeals have been exhausted, etc. What a waste of tax payer time and money. If they're convicted and sentenced to die - I can see one appeal - then that's it, or it should be.

Although, I would really much rather see them rot in jail for the rest of their lives rather than getting out the easy way by killing them. Granted, they're dead, but they're not suffering anymore - something they caused their victims to go through.

It's too bad it costs so much money to keep these people in jail. Of course, they give them every opportunity and pay for things they shouldn't have, like tv or a radio, and worst of all an education. I say if they murder someone, build or use one specific jail for them and stick them all in together. No tv, no music, no nothing. Seriously - let them rot! Stop feeding them better meals, give them mcuk for crying out loud! They don't deserve any better!

You might get more "satisfaction" from them "rotting in jail", but you are PAYING for their feed, guards, HEALTHCARE etc, everyday they are in there. Did you know, you cannot execute the prisoner, if he is Ill??? No.. we must give them medical care, and ensure they are WELL before we KILL them!! SERIOUSLY!! Yeah, I think we have TOO MANY Lawyers....

Plus every guy "sitting there rotting"..... takes up space that another cretin COULD be occupying... so we end up releasing them to repeat offend... because we have no room!! Time to EMPTY out the long timers!!

While I understand that the law is the law, I don't agree with the death penalty. In my humble opinion, it's just not right to kill someone except for self-defense situations.

Now, I know a lot of people do agree with the death penalty, and it is the law, and if I were on a jury I would abide by the law.

There are lots of laws I don't agree with, but the law is the law. For example, 55mph limits on some highways seems too slow to me, but the law is the law.

And, as a single person with no kids, I don't think I should have to pay taxes to support the National Education Program K-12, but I have no choice.

What's done is done.. Gardner chose an instantaneous death by firing squad; and his victims finally have their justice. All involved have crossed over; I believe very strongly in the power of prayer. My prayers go to the victims and their families for peace and closure. Additionally, my prayers go to Gardner. He now has to face his eternal judgement. The God and Jesus Christ I know, are just and fair. Even true repentance's won't completely wipe away this broken commandment "Thou Shalt Not Kill"; however, let's hope all involved find their place in the eternities (Wherever Gardner's earthly actions take him).

Absolutely.

What is your point? Sad life yes, but a double murderer.

He's about to find his happy place!! "Ready,Aim,Fire!!" POW!!!! Goodbye $h*tbag!!

Y'know Fred. G. if you're indicative of everyone in N.C., the Gov't ought to do the rest of the States a favor, and blow North Carolina half way to Spain.

And send Texas with you.

The Eyes of Texas are upon you, Jimbo - 944865, heh, heh....

So you don't think his drug addiction at such an early age left permanent braindamage? We are not talking about someone just growing up poor. I'm all for incarcerating him for the rest of his life but killing him will not bring the victims back, will not make society safer and is not a deterrent. Iran, Saudi Arabia, China...great company we're in.

Tonyv,

executing this guy may or may not make society safer or act as a deterrent, but the one thing that it will definitely do is that it will guarantee that he never kills anyone else, and that's the most important thing.

Rodney1111..So how do you feel about the victims who care for those with elder dementia, Huntington's or Alzheimer's? Your post has to be one of the most hilarious I've read yet. The world isn't separated into perpetrators and victims.

Demonstrating to similar criminals what they're (hopefully) likely to face, is an equally important thing.

Unfortunately, for murders, the only justice they recognize comes from the end of a gun. I see no need to prolong the life of a murderer caught in the act with undeniable evidence against them. We need to reinforce positive human life and seek to eliminate those malcontents who take lives of others in the commission of capital crimes.

Murder is murder no matter how it is justified or how it is done!

The death penalty is just another form of murder and it's just as wrong.

If the victims think that murdering another human being is going to make things better or set things right...Then maybe the state should put the victims in the cell with the criminal and let them become that which they hate.

Our justice system does nothing to reform criminals it just creates more and worse criminals.

"The most absurd apology for authority and law is that they serve to diminish crime. Aside from the fact that the State is itself the greatest criminal, breaking every written and natural law, stealing in the form of taxes, killing in the form of war and capital punishment, it has come to an absolute standstill in coping with crime. It has failed utterly to destroy or even minimize the horrible scourge of its own creation."

~Emma Goldman

Desperateforsense

"reform"?...hmmm...please define "reforming" a criminal...

Uh, DesperateState they can't put the victims in the cell with the perpertrator. They are dead.

I think DesperateState meant to say victims family members?

So you don't think his drug addiction at such an early age left permanent braindamage? We are not talking about someone just growing up poor.

However, his brain damage was not sufficient to prevent him from realizing that what he did was wrong and was evidently not sufficient to cloud his judgment at the time he committed murder. Twice. (Since the bailiff died as a result of complications stemming from the original shooting, that counts, also.) That can't be used as a defense since he knew right from wrong and chose the wrong path.

I'm all for incarcerating him for the rest of his life but killing him will not bring the victims back, will not make society safer and is not a deterrent.

I love this argument.

Executing him will not bring back the victims.

News flash: Neither will life imprisonment. No sanctions any court can impose will bring back the dead. Using your logic--that punishment should restore life to murder victims--we should abolish all prison sentences since none of them resurrect the victims.

He knew the consequences of his actions, did the deed anyway, and now he's being called on to answer for them.

And Desperate at 6.6...are you expecting us to take the quote of some anti-government whackjob as any kind of validation for your point? Try again.

"Emma Goldman (June 27, 1869 – May 14, 1940) was an anarchist known for her political..."

anarchist...rhymes with dumbaSS...who cares what that ignorant broad said or thought...

MRB92 any one can justify the murder of another person but that does not make them any less of a murderer.

wear the yoke I can clearly see that you are desperate for sense but I doubt I have the time or the patience to educate you on your ignorance.

Rikki0 you are exactly right and no matter how many people we kill they are never coming back.

Crime is a disease. But you don't kill a person to treat a disease.

PistOff08 What pro-government whackjob who you like me to quote?

MRB92- If crime is not a disease then what is it?

DesperateStateofAffairs,

So do you believe that if someone kills in self-defense it still means they're a murderer?

Just curious.

MRB92...well put! I would be willing to bet that those that oppose the death penalty do so, until a loved one becomes a victim....

Idaho Dragon I will say that I don't think life is black and white. I think most people live in that gray area in between. If you are put in a position where it comes down to you protecting yourself or your family. Then you might have to kill to survive. But that doesn't make taking the life of another person any less tragic.

People should be punished and have to live with what they have done. But to kill a person for the crimes they have committed is just repeating that which is wrong. And the dead can never repay society or learn from their mistakes.

Desperate: First - it's called capital punishment - not capital deterrance.

Secondly, show me the listing for "crime" in any medical journal.

Thirdly - One of the top 10 movie quotes of all time is Stallone in (the not top 10 movie) Cobra to a guy holding up a liquor store - "You're the disease - I'm the cure."

dis·ease

(d-zz)

n.
1. A pathological condition of a part, organ, or system of an organism resulting from various causes, such as infection, genetic defect, or environmental stress, and characterized by an identifiable group of signs or symptoms.
2. A condition or tendency, as of society, regarded as abnormal and harmful.
3. Obsolete Lack of ease; trouble.

Desperate,

I'm afraid I have to disagree with you, for one unarguable reason. If they are dead, they cannot come back and do it again. Society is safe from them. You can't say that about prisons. While prisons ARE much harder to break out of than they used to be, breakouts still happen.

And what about parole? Some truly despicable people have been released from prison because they knew how to play the game and what did they do? They went out and did it again, killed or raped or whatever to another innocent person or people.

So, while I agree that it is unfortunate that some people become the monsters that they are, I prefer that they have NO chance to ever do it again. After all, the innocent are far more worthy of life than the guilty are. Executing people like Mr. Gardner may not be a pleasant thought, but at least with him gone, no innocent person will ever have to worry about him again.

And I am not interested in him "repaying society". Nothing he does could ever do that. The only thing I am interested in is that he is removed from this life so there is ZERO possibility that he can ever do it again.

Some "mistakes" have severe consequences.

And by the way, crime is not a "condition or a tendency". It is an act, made by choice.

state,

go bleed your pathetic heart somewhere else. it is your ilk that has made crime prosperous in this country. A dead man will never murder another INNOCENT person. if one of the victims was a member of your family, you would probably want to pulll the trigger.

An "act" brought on by a "condition or a tendency"

We can't predict the future or say what some one may or may not do in said future.

Where does the killing stop? We kill this guy because he killed that guy and from teaching through example promote even more killing.

The system is far from perfect and makes thousands of mistakes every year. How would you like to be their next mistake that gets the death penalty?

trco no unlike you I don't condone murder. The only punishment that would serve me is to make the criminal understand the pain and the loss they had inflicted upon me. And I could never accomplish that through murder.

"As if one crime of such nature, done by a single man, acting individually, can be expiated by a similar crime done by all men, acting collectively."
-Lewis Lawes, warden of Sing Sing prison in NY in the 1920s and 30s

Okay forget the whole disease thing, please. People keep putting into a medical and microbiological context and that is not what I meant at all.

MRB92 I thought he was paying for his crimes. Most prisons are a kind of hell on earth.

I agree that he should continue to pay for his crimes. But please explain to me how a dead person can pay for their crimes?

Death is natural and it happens to us all. The death penalty is murder and it's wrong!

"I think this country would be much better off if we did not have capital punishment.... We cannot ignore the fact that in recent years a disturbing number of inmates on death row have been exonerated."
-John Paul Stevens, U.S. Supreme Court Justice

The same thing that makes any murder a murder. The fact that another person or group of people is going to take the life of another by force.

"Capital punishment is the most premeditated of murders."
-Albert Camus, French philosopher

I have to go now...But it has been nice debating this with you all. I think we can all agree that the wicked should reap what's coming to them...Take care...

I was hoping I'd get my chance to say: THE DEATH PENALTY. ZERO REPEAT OFFENDERS SINCE 1977!! Sorry but Mr. Dirtbag made the choices that are gonna make him a target in a few hours.

desperatestateofaffairs: crime is NOT a disease it is sin!!!!!!

It seems some people are very much against the death penalty. I for one am against paying to keep someone alive who is completely useless to society as a whole. I propose we just drop off murdering scumbags onto an island in the south pacific and let them try to live out the rest of their lives. If they kill each other, fine, if they starve to death, fine either way the state isn't technically killing anyone and the tax dollar argument is also rendered useless because we just dropped them off. I think that's fair....although it didn't work in the movies so I'm not sure if it'll work in real life either...just a thought

I'll donate for the fund to buy that island............course that's how Australia started.

Desperate,

"And the dead can never repay society or learn from their mistakes"

How could a mutiple murderer do to repay society? If he learned from his mistake, would you let him out?

"The only punishment that would serve me is to make the criminal understand the pain and the loss they had inflicted upon me."

So if I murdered your entire family, and then you explained to me the pain and loss that you have experienced, then you would be all for me gettting out of jail?

Liberal wackjobs are a hopeless cause.

Desparate, I agree with you 100%.

Killing someone, except in situations for self-defense. is just wrong.

But then again the law is the law.

blessed are the cold blooded killers for they shall be sent to a final judgement...after a wait of say...20 or 30 years.

The most merciful thing we can do for this guy is to execute him and put him out of his misery.

He is brain damaged beyond hope of redemption, mentally and emotionally he is probably more closely related to an animal than to a human being.

Naw. Animals kill to eat, or because they see the object of their attack as competition for available food; if you want to find killing for meanness, or simply for the hell of it, it will only be found with cretins like these. Meanwhile, Americans can at least be encouraged by the fact that the people who insist on compassion and understanding for them, will only find it if they leave for other countries. And they better choose the right one; in some, they'll find it considerably worse for murderers than it is here. Remember years ago when King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was publicly shot by his nephew, Prince Faisal? He was found guilty, and was, publicly, made approximately a head shorter. I'll bet not many Saudis whined about what a terrible deal he got.

And some of you profess to be Christian, or at least, or our country should follow Judeo-Christian principles. Remember: Judgement is mine, sayeth the Lord. Don't presume to usurp the Lord's perogative. Unless you and Rush (or Glen) are actually the Almightly.

LiberalMike, when God said " Judegement is mine " the passage was about judgeing others as fit to go to heaven or hell. That truly is his pervue. He was not talking about passing judgement on earthly crimes or the punishment. That has to be done by us.

Judgement is mine, sayeth the Lord

"That doesn't limit him to his choice of weapons, does it, now?" Telly Savalas, The Dirty Dozen.

We are simply rendering unto the Lord that which is his, and rendering unto Caesar that which is Caesars. His soul is the Lord's, and his a$$ belongs to Utah.

But the Lord also said give unto Ceaser what is Ceasers, in this case his life, God we judge him when he arrives, just saving tax payer dollars not having to keep him jail.

If you want to use religion and the bible to say that killing in the name of justice is acceptable.

You might want to keep the ten commandments in mind...

6 “You shall not murder."

Well said, Desperate. He is the murderer and is not being murdered. He is being punished. No commandment about being punished.

Rikki0 By your logic one could say that Jack the Ripper was merely punishing those women.

The part of me that wants justice for victims is the same as the one that will load a rifle/grenade launcher and blow the $h*t out of a TERRORIST/TERRORISTS. It may not mesh perfectly with what I was taught growing up but it does mesh with what I've seen and experienced. Mr. Gardner not only had no mercy but went beyond just killing by stalking his prey. I'm glad he has a few hours to think of the irony of being shot to put him out of our misery!!

Yes, but they should still suffer the consequences for their actions, it's called reaping what you sowed!!!!!!!!!

BehrFacts...Thank you for proving civilized human beings no longer exist in this classless country. Why not just go back to feeding the guilty to the lions so you can sit there and enjoy every ounce of gore while you feast at the table of violence?

ewent, "civilized human beings" are, in your mind, liberals who, when faced with adversity, simply drop their pants and bend over.

America used to be a country of meat-eaters. Today, the average American snorts tofu.

Obey Me - I will take the "civilized human beings" any day over your brand of civilization.

You and the rest of your ilk represent the worst of our society. I am not surprised at the comments here - disgusted, but not surprised.

And I don't even like tofu.

Actually that's not a bad idea, ewent. The cold blooded murderers don't really fear the painless death they will receive if they are caught nowadays. Being chomped to death by lions might make them think again. You are wise beyond your years.

Obey Me - I will take the "civilized human beings"

And you and ewent and others like you will be taken in turn by those you coddle.

Nobody on this board had any idea who Gardner was and would have been perfectly content to let him go about his business until he was convicted of murder. Had he been a normal member of society, most of us would have even helped him change tires, find jobs, or invited him to a barbecue.

However, he has seen fit to exclude himself from civilized society and now gets to reap the benefits of that decision. Too bad for him.

But maybe he can stay at your house with an ankle bracelet while you feed him, provide for him, and wonder if you'll wake up the next morning with a knife in your chest. Is that better than execution? Hurry and let Utah know before it's too late.

I talked to god yesterday....and he (god, alah, budha, etc) told me yesterday that all religions are BS, he's laughing his A$$ off at allyou true believers. And he really laughs at all those books wrote about him...Bible, Koran, etc...all BS ...yeah he told me yesterday those exact words. He doesn't even look at Earth because he has too many good planets to worry about. He said ours is an experimental planet, and an experiment that has gone very wrong.Oh and by the way he is really a she and is so smoking hottttttttttt.

pistof08

Look, stupid, I did NOT say anything about coddling. People who know how to THINK believe life in solitary without the possibility of parole is a worse punishment than death. For the next how many years he has left, he would be slowly going nut, subject to whatever kind of desease that rolls down the pick, etc.

As far as the rest of your disengenuous comments - shove it!

flickfreek, those people who know how to THINK..........are wrong.

flikfreek

"People who know how to THINK believe life in solitary without the possibility of parole is a worse punishment than death. For the next how many years he has left, he would be slowly going nut, subject to whatever kind of desease that rolls down the pick, etc."

And just who are these "people who know how to THINK" and how do they know what it is like in prison solitary? Have they worked at a prison or been in prison? I have worked at a prison and some of the prisoners prefer to be in solitary. Some go so far as to commit infractions in the pods so they will be moved to solitary. I've never seen anyone go "nuts" from being in solitary.

I'd much prefer a sizzle on Old Sparky for this $H*T Bag but that's just me!! I could care less if some of you think that the Death Penalty is inhumane treatment in my home state we have a platoon of rapists and murderers along with murderer/rapists who were supposed to get life sentences in the mid '70's but have somehow turned the scales of justice over and are pending release. These guys are in their late 50's,early '60's and if you don't think they're a threat to society you need professional help (one rapist attempted to sexually assault his cellmate in 2006!!) ,all have multiple offenses in prison and yet somehow they're eligible for release on good behavior. As long as liberal judges refuse to properly punish violent predators the DEATH PENALTY is our only real hope of protection. THE DEATH PENALTY. ZERO REPEAT OFFENDERS SINCE 1977 (an execution carried out in Utah by firing squad)!!

One thought, an executed killer is way cheaper than a killer in prison. Just sayin.

I am 100% pro death penalty for the crimes of murder and rape, especially if the guilty person is caught in the act, such as Gardener was.

I am also aware that some people get convicted on some flimsy evidence merely due to them having a really incompetent lawyer or maybe even circumstantial evidence that only MAKES them look guilty. With no direct witnesses to a crime I begin to be in favor of life imprisonment unless there is DNA evidence connecting them to the crime, or some other sort of UNDENIABLE and ABSOLUTE proof.

I want those guilty of capital crimes punished- and severely. However, I also know that innocents can be convicted and I want them to have every opportunity of proving their innocence. Only a month or two ago we saw a man convicted of a rape decades before get released because of new DNA evidence. I think any one of us can empathize with a man who has been wrongly convicted and the waste of most of their adult life behind bars among true criminals. I'd really hate to know they were deprived of their life unjustly- there is no going back after the enforcement of a death penalty.

There were none of the above problems with Gardener however. He was witnessed committing the courthouse murder by dozens of people. There should be no objection to his death penalty sentence being fulfilled, especially by him or his lawyer. There should have been no appeals accepted by ANY court that would have prolonged his existence.

Does calling him names help or just de-humanize him so he's easier to kill.

I FULLY support the death penalty and means of execution just disgusted by everyone calling him names to de-humanize. My question is could you walk up to him and politely say " Hello Mr. Gardener I'm here to execute you please have a seat it will just take me a moment to load my rifle, Thanks Could I in this case I think so.

Just sayin'

The fact that I call criminal rapists and murderers $H*Tbags or dirtbags offends you scott ?? We'll ex..cuuuusssseeee ME!! (with apologies to Steve Martin) And yes I could politely address him in a professional capacity just as I professionally dealt with detainees in Iraq, even ones who had "allegedly" committed horrible acts to others, including soldiers !

How would you know what the Good Lord would have to say? Do you have some sort of divine powers?

I do and he (god, alah, budha, etc) told me yesterday that all religions are BS, he's laughing his A$$ off at allyou true believers. And he really laughs at all those books wrote about him...Bible, Koran, etc...all BS ...yeah he told me yesterday those exact words. He doesn't even look at Earth because he has too many good planets to worry about. He said ours is an experimental planet, and an experiment that has gone very wrong.Oh and by the way he is really a she and is so smoking hottttttttttt.

Flik........go back in your mommy's basement and do something constructive. I guess I base my comment on that Bible thing you know.......the commandments yaddi yadda. Much too complicated for you I'm sure........lots of words and sentences with more than 3 words and words with more than one syllable....that kind of stuff.

flikfreek,

Perhaps you should learn to read before criticizing what someone else says.

John said he didn't think the Good Lord would have anything to say to Mr. Gardner. He didn't say he KNEW.

But I guess reading comprehension isn't important to an emotional ranter like yourself.

Michael, I've seen what a .30-30 round can do to a full beer can. Four in the heart is what Gary Gilmore got; his heart exploded!

Have a good trip, Gardner; we'll understand if you don't write...

I guess texting is out too??

what if they choose to die of old age?? lol

Hee hee... that IS pretty effin' funny...

Then catch them on fire and I'll bet that will get old pretty quick!

"Gardner first came to the attention of authorities at age 2 as he was found walking alone on a street clad only in a diaper. At age 6 he became addicted to sniffing gasoline and glue. Harder drugs — LSD and heroin — followed by age 10. By then Gardner was tagging along with his stepfather as a lookout on robberies, according to court documents.

After spending 18 months in a state mental hospital and being sexually abused in a foster home, he killed Otterstrom at age 23. About six months later, at 24, he shot Burdell in the face as the attorney hid behind a door in the courthouse."

That's what happens when you go through the things which he did. Ask me if I give a damn about society when society allows someone to slip through the cracks. Au contraire, mon frere! Society gets exactly what it deserves.

Unless you've been abused and have not gone through therapy, you've no idea what you're talking about.

Being sexually abused in a foster home is good enough reason to get back at society in my book. Society created him. Society should live with him.

Don't like it? Rehabilitate those who have been abused before they cause problems for you or I'm simply not going to care.

Pray to God that I'm never asked to serve on a jury, 'cause you know how I'm gonna vote.-btw, that's one of the reasons why I won't serve on a jury. The last time I was in the box was in the early Nineties, and I told the judge the truth-that I don't believe anything anyone from law enforcement says.

Different people react in different ways.

Sorry. I don't buy it-and I simply don't care.

The feeling is mutual. May you and yours bite the wong very soon.

Unless you've been abused and have not gone through therapy, you've no idea what you're talking about.

As opposed to you, who have no idea period.

Abuse or not, he still possessed the ability to discern right from wrong. He made his choice and now he deals with it.

Pow. End of story. Next?

So MetalGuitarist, the two people he murdered in cold blood deserved to die because YOU ( you are a member of society you know whether you like it or not ) did not care for and take care of this man. So ultimately YOU MetalGuitarist are saying that YOU are the cause of their deaths. How could you do that? You remorseless killer.

Metal Guitarist "that I don't believe anything anyone from law enforcement says"....funny, I think that's what most guilty people say....sounds like you have a problem recognizing the truth.....Bless your heart.

He probably plays "Even Flow" by Pearl Jam non-stop on his metal guitar.

BAWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Get over it. Bad things happen to all of us.

Ain't that the truth MRB92! Metal Guitarist & those like him can't believe there are other people who have suffered thru horrifying circumstances and worked thru them cuz that would mean they have to be responsible for the choices they make in life. It's so much easier to whine about how it wasn't my fault cuz I had it tough.

Gardner knew what he was doing. He did what he wanted to do cuz he felt like it. He didn't get hauled to the nearest tree and lynched - he still got his day in court - got his rights. His victims didn't. What good might they have done with their lives in these last 25 yrs? No one got a chance to know.

Maybe if the soon to be ex Mr. Gardner had killed his abuser and only his abuser I'd not only sympathize but actually support giving him a second chance but stalking a man and shooting him through a door while attempting to escape and avoid trial? Sorry but he's about to be served long overdue justice at several hundred feet per second!!!!

Those who say we as a society need to save everybody using our collective(government) funds seem to think that our society has life dicked, and we can afford to do anything. We don't have life dicked, and we can't afford to save everybody. A person who was sniffing glue and gas at six is NEVER going to be contributing anything to our society. That's a bad investment, considering we're borrowing money to do it. In a perfect world, he would have run in front of a car at six.

common man,

your statement is very telling. if a person who is sniffing glue and gas at age six is beyond help, maybe we should just have executed him then. that would have saved three people and been better for society all around! in fact, may be we should take babies who are born on the 'wrong side of the tracks,' abused children and others who don't manage to pull themselves together by, i don't know, the age of 12? and just execute them. that would sure free up a lot of room in the prisons.

what a bunch of ghouls there are on this forum! i don't know how i feel about the death penalty. i can't say that if one of my children were murdered that i wouldn't want revenge. so, i won't say that i think it is wrong. but, do you all have to be so bloodthirsty about it? my god! what is wrong with you? it's bad enough this man's life started off at the bottom and went down from there, you have to rejoice in that? the truth is there is science behind the mental illnesses that cause people to not be able to feel remorse of any kind(like a sociopath) or to be unable to stop themselves from doing evil things. there have been studies done on the brains of serial killers that show that their brains do not work like a normal brain. don't get me wrong, i'm not saying that mr. gardner should not pay for his crimes or that anyone who commits a crime should not pay. i'm not making a judgement call.

but, instead of rolling around giddy with excitement about killing someone, maybe we should take a look at how we treat each other while we're alive. this man's life could have been dramatically different if someone had reached out when he was two or six or even ten, but no one did. what's sad is that there was probably no one in his life that gave a damn about him from the day he was born and by the time he grew up, violence was the only life he understood. i doubt if anything could be done for him even if he did live, so maybe death will be a release that private hell that has been his life. i want to quote the book Utopia but i'm not sure of the exact words but it goes something like: 'what kind of society is it that creates the theives and beggars and then punishes them for being what their first nature made them?'

our society creates these people and then we rejoice in killing them. when will we ever learn that how we treat each other is the only way to stop the endless crime? the truth is, it will never happen, because cruelty and bloodlust is inherent in our nature. just read back over these posts if you don't believe me.

Metal Guitarist; If he'd killed the ones who abused him, I'd start a petition to let him off free. But he killed two totally innocent people who did absolutely nothing to him. And you expect those of us who comprehend the difference between those acts to 'feel for the guy'???

My point exactly Steve.

Alessa....I had a crappy childhood and turned to drinking and drugs....But I never killed anyone because of it...

That's a friggen excuse.....

And on a side note....MSNBC,....Way to try and tantalize the readers...."Death-row inmate dies in a barrage of bullets"...Really?? By your OWN accounts ther was one bullet and THREE BLANKS......So where was the "barrage".....

Yeah let's make it seem he was riddled with bullets....Freakin idiots.....

What a bunch of crap. I am sorry he went through such a terrible childhood but how does that make society responsible for what he did.

I was beaten as a child and I was made to live in a house with no indoor plumbing or heat. The house tub and toilet were full of human feces. While I was taken out of that environment I was put in with my grandparents who were extremely mentally abusive. Did that childhood affect me yes but I have always known right from wrong. I may have made some stupid choices in life but I never did anything illegal or harmful to others. And eventually I grew out of that. I have seen people come from similar backgrounds become fine upstanding decent peopel so this is just a bunch of bull

I too have been physically, and sexually abused repeatedly but I learned the difference between right and wrong and chose to be the change I wanted to see in my lifetime. I don't opppose the death penalty in certain situations. I think the death penalty should be left ONLY for the monsters who kill, rape, maim,and torture our future. Our innocent little Angels who have been given no rights scream out from their graves for their justice. How many child killers have been put to death? NOT MANY IF ANY.

Either way, fine by me. The reason being that we still punish kids who kill their abusive parents-which is ludicrous.

Since society creates the criminals, let the members of society live with what they created.

i'm sure metal guitarist is just saying this stuff for shock value---and he says he doesn't care about our opinions----then why is he on here commenting? i hope he doesn't live anywhere close to me--sounds like he is thevery sort we are discussing here..

Most gladiators were slaves.

Hangings would be cool, though. Bring the kids and the picnic basket, and instead of singing a hymn before the trap drops, sing, "Christmas Don't Be Late" by the Chipmunks!

Or "OOP,There it is"!!!

I watched a John Wayne movie, True Grit, and they were standing around watching the hanging and eating hot dogs and peanuts! That was the good old days!

Read the Constitution Bobbie before you throw the treason word around in the US.

It is fascist-minded folks like you that the Framers sought to dissuade from accusing the opposition of treason and offing their heads.

Pull

LMAO

Man, some of the comments are nearly as scary as the criminal. Executions should be handled in as humane a way as possible. To want another human being to be tortured and suffer, no matter what they did to there victims, is morally wrong and no good can come out of it. The image of a man's body being riddled with bullets is disturbing and yes archaic when lethal injection is an option. As for the lengthy time it takes a criminal to be executed, this is in part so all the evidence can be exhausted and no innocent person is executed. Over 130 people have been exonerated from death row since the 70s. I'd rather get it right even if it takes longer, than execute an innocent person.

Brian, I can agree with you that every opportunity to make sure an innocent person is not executed. However, in this case it was caught on tape and there were over ten eyewitnesses. The only reason it has taken so long is because they were exhausting every resource to get him off on a technicality ( spelled his name wrong, etc. ). In this case there is no doubt, reasonable or otherwise of what he did. As far as wanting to see a murderer tortured and suffer, well they say that capital punishment is not a deterent to murder. They are wrong. There can be no way of knowing how many murders have NOT been commited because a person did not want to suffer the consequences, but you can bet there have been many. But there have been many murders commited because a person did not fear a humane death if they were caught. But how many of the latter murders would have been deterred if they knew they would have to suffer the pain and suffering of their own victims. I think many.

Brian, he chose the firing squad over lethal injection!

Brian h- did you not read the story? HE CHOSE the form of execution! I say good riddance to bad garbage! And as for executing the wrong man, multiple witnesses saw him. If the evidence is incontrovertible, then they need to be executed without delay- preferably by the next sunrise!

A lethal injection of lead

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Get over it Brian. I sincerely hope his execution is messy, painful and agonizingly slow. Wow...what a deterrent!! Stop patronizing the bad guys. If you had walked into your home to find your teenage daughter a victim of this animal I'm sure you'd feel much differently. Funny how the bleeding hearts are just that, at least, until it's THEIR loved one(s) who is victimized. Gawd...I freekin' HATE bleeding heart liberals!!!!!!!!

Over 130 people have been exonerated from death row since the 70s.

At a cost that we can't afford. As the wise man Mr Spock said, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few..............or the one".

Our society has seen WAY more innocent people killed by people who were released from prison who should have been executed than we have seen innocent people executed. At some point, we need to realize that we can't afford to be perfect, and just need to be right most of the time.

If we're going to play the "save everybody" game, then we need to outlaw any mode of transport faster than crawling, and must do away with dangerous things like electricity, fire, and tools.

Common Man,

You do realize that Mr. Spock was a fictional character, right? How can you justify the deaths of persons executed for a crime they didn't commit by quoting Star Trek? Getting it right most of the time, in this case is not good enough.

And btw, Mr. Spock was once rebuffed by Capt. Kirk. Spock asked why he had risked everything (his ship, crew) to save him. Kirk responded with, "because the needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many."

brian h33

Kill em all let god sort em out