Earl Gardner (murderer)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Earl Gardner | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | August 2, 1906 San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, Arizona, U.S. |
| Died | July 13, 1936 (aged 29) Coolidge Dam, Arizona, U.S. |
| Criminal status | Executed by hanging |
| Convictions | First degree murder (2 counts) Second degree murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death by hanging |
| Details | |
| Victims | 3 |
Span of crimes | 1925–1935 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
Earl Gardner (August 2, 1906 – July 13, 1936) was a Native American serial killer who killed three people, including his wife and infant son, on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona between 1925 and 1935. Gardner served time in prison for killing a man in a fight in 1925. After his release, Gardner, who had a history of abusing his wife, murdered her and their son with an axe in 1935. He was sentenced to death for these murders and hanged in 1936.
Gardner's execution was botched, resulting in it taking over 30 minutes for him to die. Months later, Congress passed a law stating that all federal executions would now be carried out using whatever method was used in the state. This made Gardner the last person to be executed by hanging in Arizona.[1]
Gardner was short and was bullied for his size, causing him to develop a fierce temper. This led to him being despised by many of his colleagues as a "mad dog." He frequently and soon became an outcast. In 1925, Gardner stabbed Francis Knight to death during a fight following a drinking party. He later said that he had committed the crime in a "drunken frenzy." The crime was tried in federal court since it had occurred on a Native reservation, this putting it under federal jurisdiction. Gardner was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to 13 years in prison. He was initially sent to the Federal Correctional Institution in Anthony, Texas, before being transferred to the United States Penitentiary near Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He was released on parole in 1932.[2]
After returning to the reservation, Gardner married a young girl named Nancy, whom he continuously physically abused during their marriage. They later had a son named Edward, who was just 27 days old when he was murdered.[2]