Deanna's Daydreamer
04-07-2010, 08:06 PM
Have you ever wondered why the courthouse has metal detectors?
When did this newest INVASION OF PRIVACY begin, you ask?
Well, like a lot of things that are new in the world of security.... it began with a CASE.
A case which became a capital murder case! IMAGINE THAT!
Such IS the case...... of Ronnie Lee Gardner, who now appears headed for execution:
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SALT LAKE CITY - After more than 25 years of appeals, execution appears imminent for one of Utah's death row inmates. The Utah Attorney General's Office has filed papers to have Ronnie Lee Gardner put to death, Fox 13 News has learned.
The application for an execution warrant was filed late Wednesday in Salt Lake City's 3rd District Court. It seeks to execute Gardner for the 1985 slaying of Michael Burdell during an escape attempt from the old Salt Lake County courthouse. Gardner was in court for the murder of Melvin Otterstrom when he was smuggled a gun. He used it in the brazen escape attempt, killing Burdell in the process.
Now, more than 25 years later -- Gardner has exhausted his appeals, the Utah Attorney General's Office said.
"At this point, he has exhausted all legal process and once he's done that, we can apply for an execution warrant," assistant Utah Attorney General Thomas Brunker said Thursday. "Ronnie can still apply for commutation."
A hearing is expected to be scheduled within the next month where a judge will sign the execution warrant and set a date.
"The execution date has to be not fewer and no more than 60 days from the date it's signed," Brunker said. "It usually takes upwards of 30 days to get on the court calendar."
"Theoretically, when could we expect an execution to happen?" Brunker was asked by Fox 13's Ben Winslow.
"It could be 90 days," he replied. "Possibly."
Gardner could still mount a last minute legal challenge. His attorney, Andrew Parnes, told Fox 13 on Thursday that at this point, he did not have anything that he was planning to five, but added that it could change.
Gardner initially opted to die by firing squad, but the latest warrant states that he will die by lethal injection. Utah did away with the firing squad as a method of execution in 2004. Only three inmates have chosen it as a method of death. The remaining seven will die by lethal injection.
Gardner's execution will be the first in Utah since Joseph Mitchell Parsons was put to death in 1999.
http://www.fox13now.com/news/kstu-ronnie-lee-gardner-execution-warrant,0,1339970.story
When did this newest INVASION OF PRIVACY begin, you ask?
Well, like a lot of things that are new in the world of security.... it began with a CASE.
A case which became a capital murder case! IMAGINE THAT!
Such IS the case...... of Ronnie Lee Gardner, who now appears headed for execution:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
SALT LAKE CITY - After more than 25 years of appeals, execution appears imminent for one of Utah's death row inmates. The Utah Attorney General's Office has filed papers to have Ronnie Lee Gardner put to death, Fox 13 News has learned.
The application for an execution warrant was filed late Wednesday in Salt Lake City's 3rd District Court. It seeks to execute Gardner for the 1985 slaying of Michael Burdell during an escape attempt from the old Salt Lake County courthouse. Gardner was in court for the murder of Melvin Otterstrom when he was smuggled a gun. He used it in the brazen escape attempt, killing Burdell in the process.
Now, more than 25 years later -- Gardner has exhausted his appeals, the Utah Attorney General's Office said.
"At this point, he has exhausted all legal process and once he's done that, we can apply for an execution warrant," assistant Utah Attorney General Thomas Brunker said Thursday. "Ronnie can still apply for commutation."
A hearing is expected to be scheduled within the next month where a judge will sign the execution warrant and set a date.
"The execution date has to be not fewer and no more than 60 days from the date it's signed," Brunker said. "It usually takes upwards of 30 days to get on the court calendar."
"Theoretically, when could we expect an execution to happen?" Brunker was asked by Fox 13's Ben Winslow.
"It could be 90 days," he replied. "Possibly."
Gardner could still mount a last minute legal challenge. His attorney, Andrew Parnes, told Fox 13 on Thursday that at this point, he did not have anything that he was planning to five, but added that it could change.
Gardner initially opted to die by firing squad, but the latest warrant states that he will die by lethal injection. Utah did away with the firing squad as a method of execution in 2004. Only three inmates have chosen it as a method of death. The remaining seven will die by lethal injection.
Gardner's execution will be the first in Utah since Joseph Mitchell Parsons was put to death in 1999.
http://www.fox13now.com/news/kstu-ronnie-lee-gardner-execution-warrant,0,1339970.story