Wikipedia:Today's featured article/requests/Ronnie Lee Gardner

Ronnie Lee Gardner

 * This is the archived discussion of the TFAR nomination for the article below. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as Wikipedia talk:Today's featured article/requests). Please do not modify this page. 

The result was: scheduled for Today's featured article/March 10, 2015 by Brianboulton (talk) 11:39, 20 February 2015 (UTC)

 Ronnie Lee Gardner (1961–2010) was an American felon who received the death penalty for murder in 1985 and was executed by a firing squad by the state of Utah. In 1984 he killed a bartender during a robbery in Salt Lake City, and the next year killed an attorney in an unsuccessful escape attempt. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for the first murder and received the death penalty for the second. In a series of appeals, defense attorneys presented mitigating evidence of the troubled upbringing of Gardner, who had spent nearly his entire adult life in incarceration. His legal team took the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which declined to intervene. His execution at Utah State Prison, the first to be carried out by firing squad in the U.S. in 14 years, became a focus of media attention in June 2010. Gardner stated that he sought this method of execution because of his Mormon background. On the day before his execution, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a statement clarifying its position on the issue of blood atonement of individuals. The case also attracted debate over capital punishment and whether Gardner's difficult childhood had destined him for a life of violence.
 * Most recent similar article(s): Murder of Leigh Leigh (December 18, 2014)
 * Main editors:
 * Promoted: November 26, 2010
 * Reasons for nomination: Interesting reading. FA status. --BabbaQ (talk) 21:29, 31 January 2015 (UTC)
 * Support as nominator. BabbaQ (talk) 21:29, 31 January 2015 (UTC)
 * Support, It's about time some more crime-related articles get on the main page. The article is interesting enough to catch the eyes of other readers. -- Gourami Watcher  (?) 05:04, 1 February 2015 (UTC)
 * Comment. The text above reproduced part of the lead section. I had to squeeze text from the lead section down to a little over 1200 characters; was there anything I left out you'd like to see put back in? - Dank (push to talk) 17:11, 1 February 2015 (UTC)
 * That will do. Thanks.--BabbaQ (talk) 18:22, 2 February 2015 (UTC)


 * Non-free image removed. BencherliteTalk 11:39, 3 February 2015 (UTC)
 * Support Sad story. Isolated use of firing square for execution.  As a repeat offender (killing a lawyer in the courthouse), he is the 'poster child' for the death penalty. Interaction of the case with the culture of Utah and the Mormons is eye catching.  Well written article. 7&amp;6=thirteen (☎) 12:35, 5 February 2015 (UTC)
 * Support Sad and interesting story. I am the creator and nominator of the most recent similar article listed above; I also think it's about time we had another crime related article on the main page. Freikorp (talk) 12:22, 8 February 2015 (UTC)