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In Utah: Victim's Family Opposed to Capital Punishment as Execution Nears

By Steve Hall

The Salt Lake Tribune reports, "Gardner fights to stave off execution,"  written by Nate Carlisle.Somebody wants to save Ronnie Lee Gardner from the firing squad: the loved ones of the man Gardner is on death row for murdering.Gardner asked the state's Board of Pardons and Parole for a commutation hearing Tuesday -- an 11th hour effort to avoid his scheduled June 18 execution.At that hearing, Gardner intends to have the girlfriend, friend and father of murdered attorney Michael Burdell testify that Burdell would not have wanted the death penalty for Gardner."Michael Burdell's voice has never been heard," Gardner's attorney said in a written petition to the board.Gardner also will testify in any commutation hearing, his attorneys wrote, to explain why the board "should show mercy and commute his sentence...continue to full post

Full post as published by StandDown Texas Project on May 05, 2010 (boomark / email).