Condemned man set to die by firing squad denied clemency from Utah parole board

Clemency denied for man on Utah’s death row

DRAPER, Utah — A Utah parole board has unanimously decided not to grant clemency to a condemned Utah inmate scheduled to be executed by firing squad.

Curt Garner, chairman of the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole, said Monday the board determined that the jury’s verdict imposing a death sentence was not inappropriate and that no sufficient reason exists to grant clemency or to commute Gardner’s death.

The last time Utah granted clemency to a condemned man was in 1962.

Convicted killer Ronnie Lee Gardner’s execution is set for Friday.

At a two-day commutation hearing last week, the five-member Utah Board of Pardons and Parole heard nearly eight hours of testimony about Gardner’s troubled life and history of violent crime.