GARY GILMORE
In 1976 Gary Gilmore was paroled from prison after having spent half of his 35 years in
jail. Three months later he went on a robbing and killing spree lasting two days. First
he robbed and killed a gas station attendant in Orem, Utah. Next, he held up a motel
and killed the motel manager. He was caught the next day. Since there was an eyewitness
to the motel killing, Gilmore was tried first for that crime.
The trial began on October 5, 1976, and the evidence was strong. The eyewitness stated
that he had observed Gilmore in the registration office, "in his right hand he had a
pistol with a long barrel. In his left hand he had a cash box from a cash register." An
FBI ballistics expert then took the stand and described how he matched the gun used in
the motel killing to the cartridge cases found at the scene of the crime. Gilmore was
connected to this gun because of bloodstains found where the gun was disposed of after
the murder. Apparently, Gilmore accidentally shot himself with the same gun. The
defense counsel offered no evidence. At first Gilmore offered to take the stand to
defend himself, but then withdrew the request when his attorneys stated that they had
no defense.
After a few hours of deliberating, the jury found Gilmore guilty and recommended death.
The trial ended on October 7, 1976, just two days after it started. Gilmore refused to
appeal the decision and said, "he just wanted to be shot and be done with it." On
January 17, 1977, he got his wish. He was strapped to a chair and was shot to death by
a five-man firing squad. While the case focused public attention on the wisdom of the
death penalty, it presented the issue of a death row inmate's right to die and right to
refuse appeal despite the many who were trying to save him because of their hostility
to the death penalty.
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