A death row inmate in Arkansas, convicted of murdering his girlfriend, has made a chilling appeal to the state authorities.
In March 2016, Scotty Gardner was residing in a motel room in Conway, Arkansas with his partner Heather Stubbs, when they began to argue.
As detailed in the Supreme Court of Arkansas documents, Heather reportedly pushed Gardner, prompting him to retaliate by throwing her onto the bed and attempting to choke her.
During the altercation, Gardner picked up a curling iron and used its cord to strangle her to death.
Subsequently, he took $240 and two cell phones from her belongings and traveled to Hot Springs, crossing into Oklahoma to meet friends.
While Gardner was away, a motel clerk discovered Heather’s body in the room. Gardner returned to Hot Springs with his friends the next morning, where he was apprehended by the police.
After admitting to the murder, Gardner was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death in August 2018.
He has been on death row since then and has recently urged the State of Arkansas to execute his sentence due to his discontent with prison life.
USA Today reported that Gardner submitted a handwritten request to the Arkansas State Supreme Court, stating: “Set a date and let’s do it.”
This isn’t his first request for the court to carry out his execution; he had previously expressed willingness to be executed by electric chair or firing squad in 2020.
Speaking to USA Today, Gardner explained his reasoning for wanting the state to fulfill his sentence.
“Why die of old age in a one-man cave 20 years from now when I can be forthcoming and say Hey, let’s do this,” Gardner remarked.
He described his cell as being like ‘a walk-in closet with a shower, toilet, and a sink with a drain that constantly attracts bugs.’
Gardner also mentioned frequent toilet overflows and ongoing issues with black mold.
The last execution in Arkansas took place in 2017.
However, USA Today reports that his execution request is currently on hold due to a lawsuit filed by 10 inmates challenging the use of nitrogen hypoxia as an execution method. The state authorized this method, which became effective on August 5.