Joseph Martin Luther Gardner (January 15, 1970 – December 5, 2008) was an American fugitive and convicted criminal who was executed in

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

for murder. Gardner was one of several men who kidnapped and raped 25-year-old Melissa McLauchlin on December 30, 1992. McLauchlin was then shot five times by Gardner before her body was dumped on the side of a road. After the murder, Gardner fled the state and remained a fugitive for nearly two years. He was added to the

FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives The FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives is a most wanted list maintained by the United States's Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The list arose from a conversation held in late 1949 between J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI, and William ...

list on May 25, 1994, and captured in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, on October 19, 1994.

Murder

On December 30, 1992, an intoxicated 25-year-old Melissa McLauchlin locked herself out of her house in

North Charleston, South Carolina North Charleston is a city in Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina.City Planning Department (2008-07)City of North Charleston boundary map. City of North Charleston. Retrieved January 21, 2011. As ...

. As she crossed the street towards a grocery store, she was picked up by Gardner and two other men; Matthew Carl Mack and Matthew Paul Williams. The three men kidnapped McLauchlin and took her back to a mobile home where she was raped repeatedly and assaulted. McLauchlin was then bound with a blindfold, handcuffed, and placed on the floor inside a car. As the men drove along a highway, McLauchlin broke free from the handcuffs and tried to escape. Gardner then pushed her head back and shot her twice in the face. He then dumped her body along a highway in

Dorchester County Dorchester County is the name of two counties in the United States: * Dorchester County, Maryland * Dorchester County, South Carolina Dorchester County is located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was ...

where he shot her another three times, killing her. The murder was racially motivated, with Gardner making a New Year's Resolution to kill a white woman, after watching news footage of the acquittal of police officers for the

beating of Rodney King Rodney Glen King (April 2, 1965June 17, 2012) was a Black American victim of police brutality. On March 3, 1991, he was severely beaten by officers of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) during his arrest after a high speed pursuit for ...

. The group planned to kill a white woman as revenge for "400 years of oppression", including slavery. Notes were found explaining the motive.

Aftermath

All three men fled the state after the crime. Mack and Williams were arrested in January 1993, but Gardner remained a fugitive for nearly two years. He was added to the

list on May 25, 1994. He was captured in

, on October 19, 1994, and taken back to

to face trial. Gardner was the 437th fugitive to be placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted fugitives list and spent nearly five months on the list before being captured. Mack and Williams were sentenced to life in prison, while two other men who participated in the rape of McLauchlin each received less than ten years in jail as part of a plea deal. Gardner was the only person involved in the crime to receive a death sentence, as he was the one who had killed McLauchlin.

Execution

Gardner was executed on December 5, 2008, via

lethal injection Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person (typically a barbiturate, paralytic, and potassium) for the express purpose of causing death. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but t ...

Broad River Correctional Institution The Broad River Correctional Institution (BRCI) is a South Carolina Department of Corrections state prison for men located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States.

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-mo ...

. He declined to make a final statement. However, Gardner did release a written statement through his attorney.

"I would like to apologize to the family and loved ones of Melissa McLauchlin for taking her from them and causing them so much pain. I was 22 years old then, and I am 38 now. While I have always been sorry for what I did, the passage of time has allowed me to mature, reflect and experience spiritual growth in ways that were foreign to me as a young man. I have repented for what I have done, and I am very grateful to the many people who have prayed with me and for me over the years and in my final days. I deeply regret that my actions deprived Ms. McLauchlin of the chance to marry, have children and experience life with God. I have spent years praying for her, and I encourage all people of faith to do the same."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardner, Joseph 1970 births 2008 deaths 1992 murders in the United States 20th-century American criminals 21st-century executions by South Carolina 21st-century executions of American people American male criminals American people executed for murder American people convicted of kidnapping American people convicted of rape American people convicted of torture Executed African-American people Executed people from Michigan People convicted of murder by South Carolina People executed by South Carolina by lethal injection Criminals from Detroit Racially motivated violence in South Carolina Racially motivated violence against white Americans 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people

Murder

Aftermath

Execution

See also

References