Joe Yates
A death row inmate who murdered his girlfriend before selling her possessions and gambling at a casino made a terrifying request to the State of Arkansas.
In March 2016, Gardner had been staying with his partner Heather Stubbs in a motel room in Conway, Arkansas - a city a half-hour drive north of Little Rock, when an argument arose.
According to court documents from the Supreme Court of Arkansas, Heather is understood to have pushed Gardner, at which point, he threw her on the bed and attempted to choke her with his hands.
As the pair continued to fight, Gardner grabbed a curling iron and used the cord to wrap it around her neck several times before pulling it tight, strangling her to death.
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Afterwards, he took $240 from her possession, as well as two cell phones, before driving to Hot Springs and crossing the state line into Oklahoma, where he met with two friends.
While Gardner was out, a motel clerk found her corpse lying face down in the room the same day. He then returned with his friends to Hot Springs the following morning, where police officers arrested him.
After confessing to her murder, he was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death in August 2018.
The killer has been serving his time on death row ever since, and he recently pleaded with the State of Arkansas to carry out his execution as he complains about life behind bars.
According to USA Today, a handwritten filing from Gardner was made this year to the Arkansas State Supreme Court, where he wrote: "Set a date and let’s do it."
It isn't the first time he's called on the court to carry out his sentence having done so back in 2020 when he noted that he would accept an execution on the electric chair or even in front of a firing squad.
Gardner has been in contact with USA Today, explaining to the publication why he wants the state to follow through on 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," he said.
While also describing his cell as 'a walk-in closet with a shower, toilet, a sink and drain in the floor that bugs crawl in and out constantly'.
He also claimed that the toilets frequently overflow and there's recurring issues with black mold.
An execution hasn't been carried out in Arkansas since 2017.
However, USA Today further reports that his request has been stalled following a lawsuit from 10 inmates to block the use of nitrogen hypoxia as a method of execution, which was authorized by the state this year, having officially gone into effect on August 5.