June 18, 2010. It was just past midnight at the Utah State Prison in Draper. Ronnie Lee Gardner, a man who had spent roughly half his life behind bars, sat strapped to a metal chair. He had a black hood over his head and a white target pinned right over his heart.
Five anonymous marksmen, hidden behind a brick wall with Winchester .30-30 rifles, waited for the count. Five. Four. Three. They didn't wait for one. On the count of two, four live rounds and one blank tore into Gardner’s chest.
People are still looking for the ronnie lee gardner autopsy photos. Honestly, the fascination makes sense in a macabre sort of way. It was the first time in 14 years the U.S. had used a firing squad. It felt like something out of a Western, not the 21st century. But if you’re searching for those images, you’ve probably realized they aren't exactly floating around on every corner of the internet.
Why the Photos are Hard to Find
Utah is pretty strict about this stuff. In fact, Utah state law (specifically under the Government Records Access and Management Act or GRAMA) generally keeps medical examiner records, including autopsy photos, under tight lock and key.
Basically, the state views these images as private. They aren’t public domain. You can’t just file a request and expect a PDF in your inbox. Only immediate family members or legal representatives usually get a look.
Wait, though.
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His family actually did see him. His brother, Randy Gardner, has talked openly about the "bullet-riddled body" he saw at the mortuary. Randy described the damage as "brutal" and "barbaric." He actually went on a crusade against the death penalty because of what he saw. He’s mentioned having photos of the damage done to Ronnie’s body to show the reality of the firing squad, but he hasn't exactly posted them to a public gallery for clicks.
The Mystery of the "Target"
When the shots hit, there was a specific setup.
- A black metal chair.
- Sandbags stacked behind it to stop ricochets.
- A pan underneath to catch the blood.
Reporters who were there—nine of them in total—gave conflicting accounts. Some said it was "sanitary" and "clinical." Others, like Fields Moseley, said it was incredibly violent. They saw Gardner’s hand clench and his thumb rub against his finger for two full minutes after the shots rang out.
What the Autopsy Actually Showed
We don't need the ronnie lee gardner autopsy photos to know what happened inside that chamber. The medical details are part of the public record even if the pictures aren't.
The bullets were designed to expand on impact. Because four high-velocity rounds hit a concentrated area—that white target pinned by a doctor—his heart was essentially shredded. Death wasn't "instant" in the way people think, but he was unconscious almost immediately due to the massive drop in blood pressure.
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The doctor who pronounced him dead at 12:17 a.m. noted he looked "ashen."
Some people think the firing squad is "cleaner" than lethal injection. They point to the botches we’ve seen with IV lines and experimental drug cocktails in other states. Gardner himself chose the firing squad because he said he "lived by the gun" and wanted to "die by the gun."
But the "humaneness" is still a massive debate.
Legal Barriers and Privacy Laws
In 2025, Utah lawmakers even pushed for more specific "Autopsy Photo Amendments" (like SB 82) to further criminalize the unauthorized sharing of these kinds of records. They’re trying to prevent "trafficking" in images of the deceased.
If you find a site claiming to have the "official" Gardner autopsy gallery, be careful. Most of the time, those are just clickbait traps or generic forensic photos from unrelated cases. The real files are buried in the Utah Department of Health and Human Services archives.
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The Legacy of the Case
Why does this matter 15 years later?
Because Gardner’s execution reignited the conversation about how we kill people in this country. His lawyers argued he had organic brain damage and a horrific childhood. His victims' families were split—some wanted him dead, others, like the family of Michael Burdell (the lawyer Gardner killed), actually fought to spare his life.
The firing squad is still a legal option in a few places, like South Carolina and Idaho, mostly because drug companies won't sell states the chemicals for lethal injection anymore.
If you are looking for information on this case, focus on the transcripts and the witness statements. Those provide a much clearer picture of the ethics and the reality of the death penalty than a grainy, illicit photo ever could.
What You Can Do Next
- Research the Law: Read Utah Code Section 26B-8-217 to understand why these records are private.
- Read Witness Accounts: Look up Jennifer Dobner’s Associated Press report from 2010; it’s the most detailed look at the execution itself.
- Check the Context: Study the 1985 courthouse shooting that led to Gardner's sentence to understand the full scope of the tragedy.
The real story isn't in a photograph of a body; it's in the 25 years of appeals, the choices of a man who knew he was going to die, and the state that decided exactly how to do it.