Condemned Utah killer will face firing squad

news.yahoo.com...

Quote from source:
Salt Lake City - Utah is set to execute a convicted killer by firing squad after a judge agreed Friday to the inmate's request, renewing a debate over what critics see as an antiquated, Old West-style of justice.

Ronnie Lee Gardner, 49, was given the choice of being killed by lethal injection or shot by a five-man team of executioners firing from a set of matched rifles - a rarely used method of execution that harkens back to Utah's territorial history.

"I would like the firing squad, please," Gardner told state court Judge Robin Reese after hearing his avenues for appeal appear to be exhausted.

Gardner, 49, was sentenced to death for killing an attorney 25 years ago during a failed escape attempt and shootout.

Defense attorney Andrew Parnes said he plans to quickly seek a stay of execution and appeal Reese's ruling to the Utah Supreme Court.

It's unclear if a stay would be granted, but an appeal, once received, would be promptly reviewed because of the nature of the case, Utah State Courts spokeswoman Nancy Volmer said.

Gardner also has seven days to ask Utah's Board of Pardons and Parole to commute his sentence to life without the possibility of parole.

I had to post this because this was a 'wait, what?' moment for me.

I had no idea that people could choose to die from firing squad anymore. That baffles my mind that we can still do this in the 21st century.

Weird to me anyways.

Any thoughts?

Pred...

Here is discussion that is already going on that could be of some use to you..
www.abovetopsecret.com...

What will be the effect upon those involved in the firing squad?

It is a barbaric way of doing things. Why did he get a choice?