Murderer excecuted by firing squad in UT last night

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.

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Prisoner Ronnie Lee Gardner was transported to Salt Lake's old courthouse.

He was there on charges stemming from a robbery and shooting death the year before.

He killed one attorney, badly injured a court bailiff and suffered a gun wound himself.
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But one who did not live to see Gardner's execution is Nick Kirk. Kirk was the court bailiff who Gardner shot a quarter century ago. Badly wounded, Kirk would not return to work for half a year. He passed away just before Christmas in 1995.
His last few years were marked by a pain that never went away, emotional pain and pain from a bullet lodged in his stomach.

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In addition, [Gardner] was charged with attacking another inmate with a handmade shank.

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