Gardner's date with firing squad revives talk of Mormon blood atonement
Wild West? ยป Gardner's date with firing squad revives talk of a Mormon 'teaching' that refuses to die. Salt Lake Tribune (Peggy Fletcher Stack Updated: 05/20/2010). After convicted killer Ronnie Lee Gardner announced last month his intention to be executed by firing squad, national and international reporters suggested it was a throwback to the wild, wild West.
Some Utahns, though, had a different explanation for why such an anachronistic execution technique remained an option in the 21st century: blood atonement.
The term refers to an arcane LDS belief that a murderer must shed his own blood -- literally -- to be forgiven by God. Since Mormon pioneers first entered the valley in 1847 until today, most of Utah's formal executions (until recent decades) have been by firing squad, which is a lot bloodier than hanging or lethal injection..."
