A federal court ruled against a Utah death row inmate’s appeal of his death sentence, moving him closer to being the first American executed by firing squad in nearly a decade.
Ron Lafferty, 78, murdered his sister-in-law and her daughter in 1984 for resisting his polygamist beliefs. At the time he was sentenced, death by firing squad was still legal and Lafferty chose it as his preferred method of execution.
In 2004, the Utah legislature disallowed the firing squad option, but inmates who had already selected that method were exempt from the change. In 2015, the legislature reinstated firing squads, but only if the courts determine the state doesn’t have the drugs needed for lethal execution.
The last time someone was executed by firing squad was in 2010, when Ronnie Lee Gardner was put to death for the 1985 murder of an attorney during an attempted courthouse escape.
Andrew Peterson, assistant solicitor general at the Utah attorney general’s office, said that the last option that Lafferty has to appeal his execution would be the U.S. Supreme Court.
“It’s incredibly unlikely they will review this case,” Peterson said, “and if they don’t, we’re talking months” until he is executed.
Lafferty’s attorney, Dale Baich, said in a Monday statement that that the defense team is looking into its next moves.
“We are carefully reviewing the decision and going forward, we will exercise all state and federal legal options,” Baich said.
