Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Draper – The execution chamber at the Utah State Prison after Ronnie Lee Gardner was executed by firing squad Friday, June 18, 2010. Four bullet holes are visible in the wood panel behind the chair. Gardner was convicted of aggravated murder, a capital felony, in 1985.
At 4am Friday I was done covering the execution. I sat down and wrote all I could remember…
My first stop is to the media area, set up at the police academy. To get into the parking lot I have to show my press pass at a roadblock. Once in there are patrols of police roaming the parking lot.
A photog stops to chat, says he got stopped by police and asked for his press pass while just walking in the parking lot. After he leaves I go back to eating my dinner in the car. An officer peaks his head in my window looking for someone. I say I just arrived.
Minutes later another officer peaks in my window and asks for my press ID. I flash it and she asks if I have checked in. No. She says I have to check in, and she stands by my car door until I put down my food and get out of the car.
In the building I go through a metal detector and register. They put a blue sticker with the number 35 on my press pass. It’s funny how much weight people give a company issued press pass, as they are so easy to fake.
Lots of media inside fill a large gymnasium, reporters and cameras from around the world.
After a while I drive down to the prison and hit a roadblock. The guy takes my drivers license and scans through a two page list and doesn’t see my name. I assure him I must be on there. I’m the pool photographer. He re-scans the typewritten list again. On the second page he finally locates my name, scrawled in by hand at the bottom.
I pull up to the meeting place. Several officers stand at the prison entrance, silhouetted by two rows of high fence topped with razor wire. There are two vans.
The officers come over and now I’m told that I can only bring one camera, no camera bag, and I must have a lens cap on my lens. That changes things. I grab a body with a 16-35, stick a flash on top, pop in my most reliable battery and an 8 gigabyte card. It’s an uncomfortably light kit for such a big assignment.
I leave everything else in my car other than a car key and my drivers license. Those are the rules.
The other media witnesses show up. There are nine. We are taken into a small conference room with a table covered with large ziploc bags labeled with our last names. We put our ID’s and keys into the bags. We wait ten minutes. Everyone is pretty quiet. What do you talk about at this moment? I can’t think of anything. Instead, I agonize over my equipment. My reporter seems concerned until I tell him not to worry, “I’m just overthinking it.”
There are four guards. One speaks up and reads a page of instructions. It details a little of what will happen. Any last words? Then a volley. A second volley if necessary to kill.
We go through a metal detector and then are physically searched, patted down.
We board the vans, which are freshly covered in Armor All. The steps and floor and seats are very slippery. No one is injured climbing in. Then we sit in the vans for at least 25 minutes. The radio is tuned to a local news channel. We laugh as the two hosts speculate wildly about the execution. One of the guards laughs at us laughing at our poor radio colleagues.
The radio hosts report that as of 1130pm, Ronnie Lee Gardner was asleep. One of the hosts goes off on a theme of wondering what Gardner’s last dream was. In our van, eyes roll.
The vans start up and we are driven to a different part of the prison where we idle for a while near a loading area. Time passes. 1158, 1159, 1200, 1201. I watch the minutes tick off on the van’s clock radio. The radio hosts are saying, “It could be happening this very minute,” but really we’re all sitting in vans waiting to be let in.
1202, 1203, 1204
I can’t remember the exact time we got out of the vans and into the prison, at earliest it was 1205.
An officer directs me and the videographer to the side. The nine media witnesses are let in the door and go right. Then we go in and go left. Everything inside is white and gray and fluorescent lit, very institutional. There are hallways and doors everywhere, each with an officer standing by them. Me and the video guy are led down a long hallway, past numerous guards stationed by doors, past a courtyard with a basketball court (and two officers guarding it), up some stairs, down a hall and into a conference room where we are guarded by two officers. We wait, quietly. Again, what is there to talk about at this moment? There’s a typewriter in the corner, a drinking fountain, doors numbered 69 and 70 and one labeled, “showers.”
It’s quiet. I keep wondering if I’ll hear the shots. After a long while the media witnesses are brought to our room, with more guards. It is done, he is dead. I didn’t hear anything.
The witnesses sit down and start talking about what happened. They compare notes about things like Gardner’s last words and the sequence of events. They want to get it right. The hood was put on, the shots were fired, “It happened so quickly!”
Immediately there are disagreements about details. Standing at the window of the execution chamber after Gardner was shot, one reporter had drawn a sketch of the target on Gardner’s heart indicating the four bullet marks. He insists his sketch of the target is accurate, while another reporter disputes it, saying that two shots were actually on the left not the right. The other reporter defends his sketch, saying he drew it while the target was still in front of him. They continue to argue over the details of the target. Square? Circle? Oblong? Left? Right? Centered?
They all talk about how quickly it happened. The warden was talking to Gardner. Gardner says he has no last words. The warden walks out. Guns appear. Bam-Bam! Very loud, even with earplugs.
We hadn’t heard a thing in the conference room.
They debate how long it took for Gardner to die from his wounds. Two minutes? Three minutes? They have no idea but figure it was probably three. Time was impossible to track standing there at the window watching the execution.
And time in the conference room is hard to track. After at least thirty minutes we are led into the execution chamber.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Draper – The execution chamber at the Utah State Prison after Ronnie Lee Gardner was executed by firing squad Friday, June 18, 2010. Four bullet holes are visible in the wood panel behind the chair. Gardner was convicted of aggravated murder, a capital felony, in 1985.
It is very small. I start shooting. We approach the chair. There are four bullet holes behind it in the wood panel behind the chair.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Draper – The execution chamber at the Utah State Prison after Ronnie Lee Gardner was executed by firing squad Friday, June 18, 2010. Four bullet holes are visible in the wood panel behind the chair. Gardner was convicted of aggravated murder, a capital felony, in 1985.
Reporters are soon climbing all over the chair,
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Draper – The execution chamber at the Utah State Prison after Ronnie Lee Gardner was executed by firing squad Friday, June 18, 2010. Four bullet holes are visible in the wood panel behind the chair. Gardner was convicted of aggravated murder, a capital felony, in 1985. doug fabrizio
pointing at the bullet holes, poking their fingers in them…
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Draper – The execution chamber at the Utah State Prison after Ronnie Lee Gardner was executed by firing squad Friday, June 18, 2010. Four bullet holes are visible in the wood panel behind the chair. Gardner was convicted of aggravated murder, a capital felony, in 1985.
Prison officials ask the reporters to step back. I photograph the chair from every possible angle. I shoot with my flash and without. From straight on, from the left, the right, close up, far away. To avoid climbing up on the contraption I reach out and hold the camera up close to the bullet holes…
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Draper – The execution chamber at the Utah State Prison after Ronnie Lee Gardner was executed by firing squad Friday, June 18, 2010. Four bullet holes are visible in the wood panel behind the chair. Gardner was convicted of aggravated murder, a capital felony, in 1985.
I shoot from a low angle with my camera on the ground. At a certain point I’ve exhausted the scene. Around then we are asked if we have enough.
We are led back to the vans and taken to our cars. We drive quickly to the media center. A press conference takes place where the media witnesses form a panel and provide their descriptions.
The first witness to speak shows a sketch of what the target on Gardner’s chest looked like. The second witness to speak disputes the first’s sketch and describes his own.
The media witnesses, in short statements, provide a patchwork of observations about the execution. One reporter says it wasn’t as violent as they thought it would be. The execution is described as clean and clinical. The ninth witness disagrees with the rest. He says it was shocking, louder than he expected and not clinical at all. He says that contrary to how the other witnesses described it, it was a very violent act.
I went home and slept.
Click here for all posts on the Ronnie Lee Gardner Execution
The meeting was very quick. The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole would announce their decision. Gardner would either be executed or his sentence commuted to life in prison without parole. It was very tense.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Draper – Family members of Nicolas G. Kirk, a deputy shot by Ronnie Lee Gardner, react as the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole announced their unanimous decision to deny Ronnie Lee Gardner’s request for commutation Monday, June 14, 2010. He is scheduled to be executed by firing squad Friday. Left to right, front row, Jamie Stewart (granddaughter), Mandi Hull (granddaughter), Barb Webb (daughter). Left to right, back row, Doug Fawson (director of victim services, department of corrections), Tammie Atkin (victim advocate, Utah Attorney General’s Office), Tami Stewart (daughter).
I trained my camera on the victims’ families. The Board announced its unanimous decision not to commute Gardner’s sentence. The execution would proceed.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Draper – Family members of Nicolas G. Kirk, a deputy shot by Ronnie Lee Gardner, react as the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole announced their unanimous decision to deny Ronnie Lee Gardner’s request for commutation Monday, June 14, 2010. He is scheduled to be executed by firing squad Friday. Left to right, front row, Jamie Stewart (granddaughter), Mandi Hull (granddaughter), Barb Webb (daughter). Left to right, back row, Doug Fawson (director of victim services, department of corrections), Tammie Atkin (victim advocate, Utah Attorney General’s Office), Tami Stewart (daughter).
Barb Webb, whose father was shot by Gardner, pumped her fists. Afterward, Barb’s sister Tami was interviewed in front of the prison…
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Draper – The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole announced their unanimous decision to deny Ronnie Lee Gardner’s request for commutation Monday, June 14, 2010. He is scheduled to be executed by firing squad Friday. Tami Stewart, daughter of Gardner victim Nicolas G. Kirk, outside the prison following the decision.
From the cell block behind her, inmates began shouting. “Kill him!” “Kill him!” Their primal shouts sent a chill down my spine.
And now I’m going into the prison to cover the firing squad execution. I won’t be witnessing the actual event. I will report back after it is done.
Click here for all posts on the Ronnie Lee Gardner Execution
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Andrew Parnes at right
The final witness on day one of the commutation hearing is the offender, Ronnie Lee Gardner. He’s sworn in and makes a statement, then answers questions.
His lawyer reads a letter Gardner wrote to Oprah, hoping to get her financial help in starting up a farm for neglected and abused children on some land he owns. He has a little over a thousand dollars (made from selling handmade crafts) to put into getting the farm started.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Recounting the murders his story seems to shift a bit. He says this time he’s telling the truth. He says he wants to apologize but one of the victims’ families won’t accept his apology so he hasn’t offered it.
He says he has avoided speaking out in the media to keep the families from any further hurt.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Andrew Parnes at right
For a very brief moment (above) he is overcome with emotion, talking about the remorse he feels. He looks down and the moment is over.
Referring to a violent incident with another inmate he says, “I didn’t try to kill him. I stabbed him several times.”
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Gardner’s attorney tells the board that he would prefer not to attend the remaining two sessions of the hearings. He says Gardner’s arthritis makes it too painful for him to sit in the chair with his hands chained behind his back.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Veldean Kirk, Mandi Hull
After it’s over, Deputy Nick Kirk’s widow VelDean Kirk and her granddaughter Mandi Hull leave the prison.
Click here for all posts on the Ronnie Lee Gardner Execution
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Utah board of pardons and parole, Iris Hemenway, Clark Harms, Curtis Garner, Jesse Gallegos, Donald Blanchard
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Craig Watson stares hard at GardnerTrent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Mandi Hull supports her aunt Tami Stewart as she testifies.Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. jason otterstrom
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Jason Otterstrom, Kathy Potter as Craig Watson testifies
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Mandi Hull supports her aunt Tami Stewart as she testifies.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Mandi Hull supports her aunt Tami Stewart as she testifies.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Mandi Hull supports her aunt Tami Stewart as she testifies.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Mandi Hull supports her aunt Tami Stewart as she testifies.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Mandi Hull supports her aunt Tami Stewart as she testifies.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Mandi Hull supports her aunt Tami Stewart as she testifies.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Mandi Hull supports her aunt Tami Stewart as she testifies.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Mandi Hull supports her aunt Tami Stewart as she testifies.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. jason otterstrom
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. jason otterstrom testifies, kathy potter, craig watson
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Jesse Gallegos
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Iris Hemenway, Clark Harms
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Iris Hemenway, Clark Harms, Curtis Garner
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Clark Harms
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Curtis Garner
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Donald Blanchard
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Andrew Parnes at right
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Andrew Parnes at right
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Andrew Parnes at right
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Andrew Parnes at right
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Andrew Parnes at right
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Andrew Parnes at right
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Andrew Parnes at right
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Andrew Parnes at right
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Andrew Parnes at right
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Andrew Parnes at right
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Andrew Parnes at right
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Andrew Parnes at right
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Andrew Parnes at right
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. andrew parnes
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Kathy Potter, Craig Watson (rear)
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Kathy Potter, Craig Watson
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Utah Assistant Attorney General Tom Brunker
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Andrew Parnes
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Utah Assistant Attorney General Tom Brunker. Erin Riley at left
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. kathy potter, craig watson, as Craig Haney testifies
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. kathy potter, craig watson, as Craig Haney testifies
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. kathy potter, craig watson, as Craig Haney testifies
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Craig Haney testifies
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Andrew Parnes
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Andrew Parnes
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison.
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Veldean Kirk, Mandi Hull
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune
Draper – Commutation hearing for death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner Thursday, June 10, 2010, at the Utah State Prison. Veldean Kirk, Mandi Hull
My first assignment back at work after the Olympics was a murder. A woman, Maralee Andreason, was found dead in her apartment. Police said it appears her boyfriend, Thomas Valdez (aka Jimbo), beat her to death. From the Trib: West Valley City police LT. Bill Merritt said Valdez indicated he was in the apartment alone with the woman and there was some kind of argument, but, “He did not flat out confess to anything.”
I photographed the cops standing around outside the apartment, but as much as I worked the scene, great photos didn’t appear. Not even a single shot worth posting here, and nothing that’s going to beat this portrait of Valdez taken by the jailers:
That was yesterday. Today I was in the state prison to photograph a parole hearing. I arrived extra early because it’s always a bit uncomfortable mingling with the families of convicts when you’re there to photograph their loved ones in a prison jumpsuit. There was one woman there when I walked in. She looked me over and said, “They let cameras in here?!”
Here are some quotes from the board as well as prisoners from a few of the hearings I sat through while waiting for the one I was set to photograph:
“You had a history of sexual offenses as a juvenile.”
“…a subject of sexual acting out while in the prison.”
“If we release you to the streets, what can we expect?”
“You were diagnosed with mood disorders, ADHD, and intermittent explosive disorder.”
“I don’t wait to stay in here until 2022.”
Here was an interesting exchange between an offender and a man from the board of pardons:
“What do you think you need to control yourself?”
“I really have a bad attitude towards almost everything. If I don’t get my way I get very upset.”
“What’s the difference between that and being a spoiled brat?”
A sex offender was asked why he said he had completed a treatment program when the staff said he hadn’t. He said, “I completed treatment but because of the sexual acts I’ve committed in here they say I didn’t complete treatment.”
More quotes…
“I thought she was taking female medication. She started freaking out and I didn’t want to let her out of the truck.”
Another exchange…
“I had a few drinks in the club. There was alcohol in the vehicle. I’m not denying these things. I had just been sober five years, and heavily involved in Alcoholics Anonymous. I had a slip, basically.”
“How long did your slip go on?”
“A year.”
“How many DUI’s have you had?”
“Five.”
At the end of the hearing, and after the victims/victims’ families have been let out of the room, the guards tell the inmate to remain seated and turn around. The inmate has a brief moment to say hello to anyone (like family members) who may have come to support them/see them.
One inmate had just one supporter, the woman who asked me about my cameras. She said to the shackled inmate, “I thought that other girl would be here…Your baby’s mama.”
He said, “Me, too.”
Then it was time for the hearing of Marco Herrera, a former counselor at West High School who is serving three 1-15 year sentences after pleading guilty to three counts of forcible sexual abuse committed on a 14-year-old female student.
His victim was in the room, and this is Herrera as she tearfully detailed the damage done to her life by his actions:
It was tough stuff to hear. The recommendation going to the board from this hearing was to schedule Herrera’s next parole hearing ten years from now.