Family mem­bers of the vic­tim whom Ronnie Lee Gardner killed in Utah are now ask­ing that his life be spared. Gardner’s attor­neys have request­ed a clemen­cy hear­ing and the fam­i­ly mem­bers of the vic­tim, Michael Burdell, would be called to tes­ti­fy in favor of spar­ing Gardner’s life. Gardner has cho­sen to be exe­cut­ed by fir­ing squad. ​“Knowing Michael, as I did, he would not want Ronnie Lee to be exe­cut­ed,” said Donna Nu, Burdell’s for­mer girl­friend at a court hear­ing recent­ly. ​“Further, he would not want to be the rea­son Ronnie Lee is exe­cut­ed.” Nu not­ed that Burdell, who was a paci­fist, served in Vietnam but refused to car­ry a gun. Burdell’s father and anoth­er friend would also tes­ti­fy for Gardner. At the time of his death, Michael Burdell served as an attor­ney help­ing poor peo­ple at the courthouse.

(N. Carlisle, ​“Gardner fights to stave off exe­cu­tion,” Salt Lake Tribune, May 5, 2010). See also Victims and New Voices.

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