I watched Gardner’s torso. … , a few seconds after the gunshots, I saw Gardner move his left arm. He pushed it forward about 2 inches against the restraints. In that same motion, he closed his hand and made a fist.
Then it happened in reverse. Gardner’s hand loosened, his arm bent at the elbow, straightened again and the fist returned. At the time, I interpreted this as Gardner suffering — clenching his fist in an effort to fight the pain.
As I write this, I don’t know whether that’s true. It could have just been reflexes or some other process the body begins after a major trauma. Scientists do not know much about what a person shot through the heart feels.
The next movement I saw from Gardner came from beneath his hood. I could see the bottom of his throat and it rippled as though Gardner moved his jaw.
I squinted my eyes, looking for blood. I saw none through the holes in Gardner’s chest. None spilled on the floor. The jump suit slightly darkened around his waist and it appeared that’s where blood was pooling. But I never saw a drop.
About two minutes passed after the gunshots. It was long enough that I wondered (and some of my colleagues later said they wondered, too) whether Gardner would require a second volley of bullets to die.
Through a side door walked a man in a button-down shirt, slacks and blue plastic gloves. He lifted Gardner’s hood only enough to check the pulse on the left side of Gardner’s neck. The man appeared to do the same on Gardner’s right.
Then the man lifted the hood high enough to shine his small flashlight in Gardner’s eyes. When he did this I could see Gardner’s face. His mouth was agape. His face was even whiter than it was before the hood covered him.
The man withdrew his flashlight and let the hood fall again. He shut off the flashlight and started to walk out of the room. Gardner was dead.
He ordered off the Utah execution menu, but it is still a horrific event for all parties directly involved in this execution. Very descriptive account Donal.
http://www.sltrib.com/D=g/ci_15325356
He ordered off the Utah execution menu, but it is still a horrific event for all parties directly involved in this execution. Very descriptive account Donal.
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