Ronnie Lee Gardner lost another appeal today.  In a unanimous opinion, the Utah Supreme Court rejected Mr. Gardner’s latest appeal.  The Court emphasized that Mr. Gardner has been treated fairly by the courts.

Mr. Gardner was convicted for the 1985 murder of Michael Burdell.  Mr. Burdell was an attorney doing research at the Salt Lake City Municipal Courthouse when Mr. Gardner was brought to the jail in shackles.  Mr. Gardner’s girl fiiend slipped a gun to Mr. Gardner.  Mr. Gardner and his guards then shot it out.  Mr. Gardner was shot in the chest and the guards retreated to the parking lot.

Mr. Gardner then made his way into the archives room of the courthouse where Mr. Burdell was doing research.  Mr. Gardner held a gun to Mr. Burdell’s head, paused for a moment, and then pulled the trigger.  Mr. Burdell was shot just above the eye and was killed instantly.

Mr. Gardner then took a hostage and made his way outside the building.  Upon exiting the building, the hostage escaped.  Mr. Gardner, surrounded by police, surrendered.

Mr. Gardner was convicted of the murder.  During sentencing, the jury considered Mr. Gardner’s past conduct.  Some of the things the jury heard were:

In 1981 Mr. Gardner escaped from jail.  While on the run he stabbed and beat a man without provocation.  When the police caught up with him he had a shoutout with the police before being captured.  While being arrested, Mr. Gardner told the officer that he knew the officer’s family and would arrange to have them killed.

In 1981 he attempted but failed to escape again from Prison.

In 1984 he attacked a prison guard with a screwdriver, attempted to headbutt another guard and kicked three guards.

In 1984 he spit in a prison guard’s face, threw his television and told the prison guard that he would arrange to kill the guard’s family.

In 1984, while on a hospital visit, Mr. Gardner attacked a prison guard.  Mr. Gardner broke a guard’s nose in sixteen places, fractured the guard’s eye socket and caused four ruptured disks in the guards spine.  Mr. Gardner took the guard’s gun, held it to the guard’s head and forced the guard to give him the keys to remove his shackles.  Mr. Gardner then hijacked at gunpoint a medical student riding a motorcycle.  Mr. Gardner forced the medical student to take him into a building, Mr. Gardner then took the student’s wallet and clothes, hit the student in the head with the gun and then kicked the studen while he lay on the ground.

In 1984, Mr. Gardner murdered Mel Otterstrom while Mr. Gardner while robbing a bar.

In 1985, Mr. Gardner kneed a prison guard in the groin.

The jury sentenced Mr. Gardner to death.  For the past 25 years, Mr. Gardner has been appealing his death sentence in State and Federal Courts.  The appeal that was denied today was his sixth appeal to the Utah Supreme Court.

Mr. Gardner was given the option of lethal injection or firing squad.  He chose the firing squad.

Mr. Gardner has a hearing scheduled this evening in Federal Court.  He will ask the Federal Court Judge to stay his execution.  His execution is scheduled for June 18.