Ronnie Lee Gardner

On June 18, 2010, prison officials showed the death chamber in Draper, Utah, where convicted murderer Ronnie Lee Gardner was already strapped into the execution chair.

Witnesses said Gardner looked calm and almost at peace, which was surprising given his troubled past with drugs, abuse, and violence. When asked if he wanted to say anything, he simply replied, "I do not, no."

A black hood was placed over his head, and a small target was attached over his heart. At 12:15 a.m., two loud gunshots rang out.

After spending 25 years on death row, Gardner, 49, became the first person executed by firing squad in Utah in 14 years.

Witness Doug Fabrizio observed, "He clenched his fist and then let go. And then he clenched it again."

A medical examiner checked his pulse. When the hood was lifted, Gardner's pale face was briefly visible.

He was pronounced dead at 12:17 a.m.

"Ronnie Lee Gardner will never kill again," said Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff. "He will never assault anyone again."

Gardner was sentenced to death for killing attorney Michael Burdell during an escape attempt from a Salt Lake City courthouse. Burdell's family opposed the execution, and Gardner was already facing charges for another murder.

He had also shot bailiff George "Nick" Kirk, who died from his injuries 11 years later.

Because Gardner was sentenced before Utah banned firing squads in 2004, he chose this method instead of lethal injection. Critics call firing squads outdated and inhumane. Gardner’s family held a vigil outside the prison, but he asked them not to attend.

His execution raised many questions about the death penalty, including its costs and moral concerns.

At midnight, Gardner was awakened for his execution and taken to the chamber, where he was strapped into a metal chair. He wore a dark jumpsuit and no shoes. The chair was on a small platform, and family members of the victims watched from separate rooms.

Five anonymous marksmen, armed with .30-caliber rifles, stood 25 feet away, aiming at Gardner's chest. One rifle was loaded with a blank to keep the shooter unknown.

Just before the shots, Gardner rubbed his left thumb and forefinger. Four bullets hit his heart and lungs, and a tray beneath the chair collected his blood.

Reporter Sandra Yi said Gardner moved slightly after the gunfire. "We weren't sure if he had passed away because we saw movement," she reported.

Sheryl Worsley from KSL News Radio found the aftermath disturbing. "He moved a little bit, and that bothers me," she said, noting it mirrored his struggle for life in the weeks before.

Is death by firing squad a painful way to go? Why or why not?

Finland used firing squads as a method of execution from 1917 to 1944. While the death penalty remained legally available for wartime crimes until 1972, its practical application decreased significantly after