Mark Gardner (murderer)
Encyclopedia
Mark Edward Gardner, was a murder
er executed at the age of 43 by lethal injection
by the State of Arkansas
. He was convicted of the December 12, 1985 murders of Joe and Martha Joyce, as well as the rape and murder of their daughter, Sara Joyce McCurdy, in Sebastian County, Arkansas
.
Alan Willett
was also executed on the same day for the unrelated murders of Eric Willett and Roger Willett.
duty. The family was tied up and they were suffocated with tape that was placed over their mouths and noses. Martha was found with a wire coat hanger around her neck. Their house was ransacked and jewelry and a car was stolen. Gardner was on parole for an armed robbery conviction and was under an arrest warrant out of Illinois
for another armed robbery. Some of the family's jewelry was found on Gardner when he was arrested and he told police that he had also killed a man in New York
State. At his trial he claimed that "demons" had made him do it.
Mark Gardner was also known for confessing to repeatedly raping and beating a fellow Death Row inmate who was later released from prison, Damien Echols, who had been convicted for the West Memphis Three
murders.
Gardner was executed first because he had the lower inmate number (SK901) than Alan Willett
(SK930). The injection of a lethal drug was administered at 8:02 p.m. CDT, and he was pronounced dead at 8:15.
Gardner’s last words were "Blessed are those who are called to the Lord's supper. A never-ending feast awaits me. I love the Melanie Alberson family (his pastoral advisor) and I thank them very much."
Gardner was the 3rd condemned inmate to be put to death in 1999 in Arkansas
and the 20th person executed by the state of Arkansas since Furman v. Georgia
, , after new capital punishment laws were passed in Arkansas and that came into force on March 23, 1973.
He was also the 569th person executed overall since America resumed executions on January 17, 1977.
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
er executed at the age of 43 by lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
by the State of Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. He was convicted of the December 12, 1985 murders of Joe and Martha Joyce, as well as the rape and murder of their daughter, Sara Joyce McCurdy, in Sebastian County, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
.
Alan Willett
Alan Willett
Alan Willett was executed at age 43 for the 1993 murders of his 13-year-old son, Eric, and his mentally retarded brother, Roger Willett in Johnson County, Arkansas...
was also executed on the same day for the unrelated murders of Eric Willett and Roger Willett.
The murders
Joe Joyce had just returned home from a funeral and Sara McCurdy had gone to her parents' home for lunch while her husband was away on Air National GuardAir National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
duty. The family was tied up and they were suffocated with tape that was placed over their mouths and noses. Martha was found with a wire coat hanger around her neck. Their house was ransacked and jewelry and a car was stolen. Gardner was on parole for an armed robbery conviction and was under an arrest warrant out of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
for another armed robbery. Some of the family's jewelry was found on Gardner when he was arrested and he told police that he had also killed a man in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
State. At his trial he claimed that "demons" had made him do it.
Mark Gardner was also known for confessing to repeatedly raping and beating a fellow Death Row inmate who was later released from prison, Damien Echols, who had been convicted for the West Memphis Three
West Memphis Three
The West Memphis Three are three men who were tried and convicted as teenagers in 1994 of the 1993 murders of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. Damien Echols was sentenced to death, Jessie Misskelley, Jr. was sentenced to life imprisonment plus two 20-year sentences, and Jason Baldwin was...
murders.
Execution
Gardner's last meal was fried shrimp, grilled salmon, garden salad, and chocolate cake with a Coke.Gardner was executed first because he had the lower inmate number (SK901) than Alan Willett
Alan Willett
Alan Willett was executed at age 43 for the 1993 murders of his 13-year-old son, Eric, and his mentally retarded brother, Roger Willett in Johnson County, Arkansas...
(SK930). The injection of a lethal drug was administered at 8:02 p.m. CDT, and he was pronounced dead at 8:15.
Gardner’s last words were "Blessed are those who are called to the Lord's supper. A never-ending feast awaits me. I love the Melanie Alberson family (his pastoral advisor) and I thank them very much."
Gardner was the 3rd condemned inmate to be put to death in 1999 in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
and the 20th person executed by the state of Arkansas since Furman v. Georgia
Furman v. Georgia
Furman v. Georgia, was a United States Supreme Court decision that ruled on the requirement for a degree of consistency in the application of the death penalty. The case led to a de facto moratorium on capital punishment throughout the United States, which came to an end when Gregg v. Georgia was...
, , after new capital punishment laws were passed in Arkansas and that came into force on March 23, 1973.
He was also the 569th person executed overall since America resumed executions on January 17, 1977.