Utah Firing Squad Execution: Silent, Chilling
The explosive reports sent a volley of .30-caliber bullets from the five marksmen into the chest of Ronnie Lee Gardner.
I was expecting to flinch but didn't as I watched his execution from the witness room.
It was so quick that for a split-second I wondered if it had actually happened.
There was no blood splattered across the white cinderblock wall at the Utah State Prison. No audible sounds from the condemned. I couldn't see his eyes. I never saw the guns and didn't hear the countdown to the trigger-pull.
A twice-convicted killer who had a troubled upbringing, the 49-year-old Gardner was executed by firing squad shortly after midnight on Friday. I was one of nine journalists selected to observe his death, which the state classifies as a homicide.
When the prison warden pulled back the beige curtain, Gardner was already strapped into a black, straight-backed metal chair. His head secured by a strap across his forehead. Harness-like straps constrained his chest. His handcuffed arms hung at his sides. A white cloth square - maybe 3 inches (8 centimeters) across - affixed to his chest over his heart bore a black target.
Seconds before the impact of the bullets, Gardner's left thumb twitched against his forefinger. When his chest was pierced, he clenched his fist. His arm pulled up slowly as if he were lifting something and then released. The motion repeated.
Although the dark blue prison jumpsuit made it difficult to see, blood seemed to be pooling around Gardner's waist.
The silence was deafening.
A medical examiner checked Gardner's pulse on both sides of his neck, then lifted the black hood to check his pupils with a flashlight, offering a brief glimpse of his now ashen face.
It was 12:17 a.m. Only two minutes had passed since the shots were fired, but it felt like things had moved in slow motion.
About an hour later, prison officials let the media inspect the chamber. There was a strong smell of bleach, but no sign of blood.
The only evidence that a man had been shot and killed there were four holes from the bullets that impaled the black wood panels behind the chair. Right to left, the distance between them a few inches.
Prison officials say Gardner willing made the 90-foot (27.5-meter) walk to the execution chamber Friday morning. That's hard to imagine, particularly from Gardner, who by his own accounts had spent much of the 30 years he was incarcerated "obsessed" with escape.
The state classifies executions as homicides. But this hadn't been like other homicides I had covered over my 15-plus years in journalism. In those instances, the media showed up after the death, not before.
This, however, was a meticulously orchestrated event with a sober, prepackaged ending.
Despite being surrounded by dozens of prison officials and witnesses, Gardner essentially died alone.
No one from his family watched him go. Nor were his attorneys present.
Similarly, Gardner chose not to utter any final thoughts or feelings.
Maybe it was his way of holding on to a small slice of privacy amid his very public death.
© 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. I was expecting to flinch but didn't as I watched his execution from the witness room.
It was so quick that for a split-second I wondered if it had actually happened.
There was no blood splattered across the white cinderblock wall at the Utah State Prison. No audible sounds from the condemned. I couldn't see his eyes. I never saw the guns and didn't hear the countdown to the trigger-pull.
A twice-convicted killer who had a troubled upbringing, the 49-year-old Gardner was executed by firing squad shortly after midnight on Friday. I was one of nine journalists selected to observe his death, which the state classifies as a homicide.
When the prison warden pulled back the beige curtain, Gardner was already strapped into a black, straight-backed metal chair. His head secured by a strap across his forehead. Harness-like straps constrained his chest. His handcuffed arms hung at his sides. A white cloth square - maybe 3 inches (8 centimeters) across - affixed to his chest over his heart bore a black target.
Seconds before the impact of the bullets, Gardner's left thumb twitched against his forefinger. When his chest was pierced, he clenched his fist. His arm pulled up slowly as if he were lifting something and then released. The motion repeated.
Although the dark blue prison jumpsuit made it difficult to see, blood seemed to be pooling around Gardner's waist.
The silence was deafening.
A medical examiner checked Gardner's pulse on both sides of his neck, then lifted the black hood to check his pupils with a flashlight, offering a brief glimpse of his now ashen face.
It was 12:17 a.m. Only two minutes had passed since the shots were fired, but it felt like things had moved in slow motion.
About an hour later, prison officials let the media inspect the chamber. There was a strong smell of bleach, but no sign of blood.
The only evidence that a man had been shot and killed there were four holes from the bullets that impaled the black wood panels behind the chair. Right to left, the distance between them a few inches.
Prison officials say Gardner willing made the 90-foot (27.5-meter) walk to the execution chamber Friday morning. That's hard to imagine, particularly from Gardner, who by his own accounts had spent much of the 30 years he was incarcerated "obsessed" with escape.
The state classifies executions as homicides. But this hadn't been like other homicides I had covered over my 15-plus years in journalism. In those instances, the media showed up after the death, not before.
This, however, was a meticulously orchestrated event with a sober, prepackaged ending.
Despite being surrounded by dozens of prison officials and witnesses, Gardner essentially died alone.
No one from his family watched him go. Nor were his attorneys present.
Similarly, Gardner chose not to utter any final thoughts or feelings.
Maybe it was his way of holding on to a small slice of privacy amid his very public death.
Popular on CBSNews.com
- Long Island police defend Hofstra student killing 290 Comments
- Officials confirm there's only 1 winning Powerball ticket
- Small Fla. town wonders who the Powerball winner is
- Allegedly random murder, "hate crime," stuns NYC
- Powerful thunderstorms rumble through hard-hit Midwest
- Winning tickets sought in $588M Powerball jackpot
- Could cop have avoided accidentally killing NY student? 69 Comments
- The War in Chicago
think of the myriad deaths by corporate greed and political power for profit that wars generate. We have warriors enough to defend our country, but not enough sense to recognize when we are ill-served or lied to with propaganda. Our servicemen are not being taken care of nor do I want to see them in prison for not being able to adjust to the reality of our government or what it does overseas.
Wars natually provide security firms and prisons with human cargo for warehousing...in addition to the profit of corporate planning...is the state business of "law and order' in the incarceration business.
We are all blinded by one death to expiate the wrong done at one time.
We are all ignorant of the government/business complex and unable to change it to become responsive to the people. For God's sake...get out and vote for rational candidates...not hate mongers...and get our government back...for the people.
Should be:
Utah Firing Squad Execution: Silent, Thrilling
I am 100% pleased to see one less murderer on this planet; kill them all.
We need to identify all the locations where murders frequently occur and post pictures of people being executed prominently right at those exact spots. For instance, 7/11 can post these pictures on the wall behind every one of their check-out counters. Liquer stores can do the same. "Yes, harm this clerk. It's your choice. But, be aware that this is what you'll look like after you're executed."
Capital punishment is the only solution to overcrowded jails, as more and more people turn to lives of crime.
The entire judicial system has been corrupted, and perverted, and it is time to fix it.
This execution was right, for society.