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SALT LAKE CITY -- Convicted murderer Ronnie Lee Gardner will not be put to death any time soon.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, U.S. District Court Judge Tena Campbell on Monday refused to lift a stay of execution that was put in place in 1996. Judge Campbell said the stay must remain in effect until decisions are made on petitions still pending with the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Utah Attorney General's Office claimed the stay was no longer valid.
Gardner was sentenced to death in 1985 after he shot and killed attorney Michael Burdell during an escape attempt in court. Gardner tried to escape during a hearing on charges in the 1984 robbery and fatal shooting of Melvyn John Otterstrom at a Salt Lake City bar. Gardner wounded a bailiff and shot Burdell twice before being captured on the courthouse lawn. Gardner was sentenced to death for killing Burdell and five years to life for killing Otterstrom.
