Ronnie Lee Gardner banned from interviews before execution

UTAH STATE PRISON — Ronnie Lee Gardner won't get a chance to sit down with news reporters before he's executed because the Department of Corrections feels he is a security risk, it wants the media to focus on his victims and he chose to die by firing squad.

Gardner's attorney says he believes the decision punishes Gardner for choosing the firing squad as his method of execution.

Allowing reporters to interview the death row inmate would "defeat the legislative intent in eliminating the firing squad as a way to limit the attention that is focused on the condemned, while victims are forgotten," a letter sent to local media outlets Tuesday states. "The Utah State Legislature changed the law, in part, to protect against re-victimization and not put undue attention on the condemned.

"Therefore, the Department of Corrections will not permit interviews with inmate Gardner in the time leading up to the execution."

But Wednesday, corrections spokesman Steve Gehrke said those reasons were actually secondary concerns to a concern that wasn't mentioned in the letter — security.

"It's just related to his specific security issues," Gehrke said. "He was in custody when he committed the offense for which he's being executed. Our main goal is to provide public safety, and our main issue is in maintaining security."

Gardner has not solicited or granted any interviews for years, but his attorney was still bothered by the edict.

"They seem to be punishing him for the method of execution that he chose, which is perfectly legal," said his attorney, Andrew Parnes.

Gardner opted to die by firing squad after Parnes read him the protocols for both methods.

"Now, apparently he's being punished and treated differently," Parnes said.

When asked whether Gardner was being punished for his decision to choose the firing squad, which will bring national and international attention to the execution, Gehrke said no.

"We don't want this to come off as another punishment," he said. "We're looking more at who he is and what he's done in the past. I don't think the firing squad was the big consideration. We would like the attention more on the people whose lives he's affected, but obviously, we don't have control over that."