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ST. GEORGE — A local man who was paroled following a murder conviction was sentenced to federal prison for illegally possessing weapons, including the same caliber handgun he used to shoot a woman to death in 1990.
Joseph Charles Gardner, 65, of St. George, appeared before District Judge Robert J. Shelby on Tuesday to face one federal count of felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. He was sentenced to 102 months in federal prison.
The defendant was indicted on the charge on Dec. 7, 2022, in a case filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Dent, who was also tasked with prosecuting the case.
According to a statement released Wednesday by U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah, Gardner was indicted for possessing a firearm after his conviction in the 1990 murder of a woman who was shot and killed while in her home.
