December 5th Execution Date For SC Man In Racial Killing
An execution date has been set for a black man who authorities say raped and killed a white woman in South Carolina as retribution for centuries of racial oppression. Officials said Monday that 38-year-old Joseph Gardner will be put to death Dec. 5.
Published: November 18, 2008
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - An execution date has been set for a black man who authorities say raped and killed a white woman in South Carolina as retribution for centuries of racial oppression.
Officials said Monday that 38-year-old Joseph Gardner will be put to death Dec. 5. His defense attorney didn’t immediately return a phone message.
Gardner was among five men who prosecutors said raped 25-year-old Melissa “Missi” McLauchlin in December 1992 near Charleston, where Gardner was assigned to a Navy ship.
Authorities said the men later blindfolded and handcuffed McLauchlin, and forced her into a car. Investigators said Gardner shot her five times when she tried to escape.
A letter found in the car contained racial slurs and passages aimed at justifying revenge against whites.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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