Gary Gilmore

Gary Mark Gilmore (December 4, 1940 – January 17, 1977) was a career criminal who was the first person legally executed in the United States after the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. Gilmore was convicted of killing a motel manager in Provo, Utah; he had also been charged with murdering a gas station employee in Orem, Utah, the previous day, but that case never went to trial.

Related Topics:
December 4 - 1940 - January 17 - 1977 - United States - Death penalty - 1976 - Provo, Utah - Orem, Utah

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In 1972 the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Furman v. Georgia (1972), effectively invalidating all laws regarding capital punishment in the United States. In response to that decision, 35 states (including Utah) enacted revised death penalty statutes intended to eliminate arbitrariness in capital sentencing. After the Supreme Court validated those laws in 1976, the state of Utah was able to proceed with the execution of Gilmore due to his refusal to contest his conviction and sentence.

Related Topics:
1972 - United States Supreme Court - Furman v. Georgia - Capital punishment in the United States - Utah

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Gilmore was shot by a firing squad after angrily telling his lawyers to drop the appeals they had filed in defiance of his wishes. Gilmore had spent 18 of his last 21 years in jail and prison; he wanted the justice process hurried along. During his wait, Gilmore attempted suicide twice while in prison. The execution was stayed three times.

Related Topics:
Firing squad - Lawyer - Suicide

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Gilmore requested that, following his execution, his eyes be used for transplant purposes. Within hours of the execution, two people received his corneas, inspiring the British punk rock band The Adverts to write and release "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" later that year.

Related Topics:
Cornea - British - Punk rock - The Adverts

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The Oakland-based performance artist Monte Cazazza sent out photos of himself in an electric chair on the day of Gilmore's execution. One of these was mistakenly printed in a Hong Kong newspaper as the real execution.

Related Topics:
Oakland - Monte Cazazza - Electric chair - Hong Kong

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Gilmore's story is documented in Norman Mailer's non-fictional novel The Executioner's Song (1979). Gilmore is also the main character of artist Matthew Barney's Cremaster 2 (1999), the 2nd part of The Cremaster Cycle.

Related Topics:
Norman Mailer - The Executioner's Song - Matthew Barney - The Cremaster Cycle

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Gilmore's brother Mikal wrote a memoir, Shot In The Heart, that chronicles his relationship with his brother, and their often troubled family history. In 2001, it was made into an HBO movie starring Giovanni Ribisi, Elias Koteas, and Sam Shepard.

Related Topics:
Mikal - 2001 - HBO - Giovanni Ribisi - Elias Koteas - Sam Shepard

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