Melissa Ann McLaughlan, 25
Facts of the Crime: Convicted and sentenced to death in the December 31, 1992 rape-murder of Melissa Ann McLaughlan.
Gardner was convicted of the murder of 25-year-old Melissa Ann McLaughlan, who was raped, tortured, shot five times in the face, and left to die by the side of a road. Gardner and some friends made a New Year's resolution to rape and kill a white woman as retribution for 400 years of oppression. McLaughlan had an argument with her fiancé at a nightclub, stormed out, and began to walk home. Police gave her a ride home, but she apparently set out on foot for another club. Three black men, Matthew Carl Mack, Matthew Williams, and Joseph Gardner pulled up alongside in a car and started a conversation. They returned with Missi to the trailer where the men lived and raped her.
They put out the word within the trailer park that they had “captured a white woman,” and three other black men arrived and raped her. Two black women, girlfriends of some of the rapists, were present in another room of the trailer, but did nothing to stop the attack. They soaked her in bleach and hydrogen peroxide, and scrubbed her under the shower with a nylon brush. They forced her to scrub out her vagina with the same chemicals. The men handcuffed her, blindfolded her, and put a heavy coat over her head.
They then took her to a car, and forced her down onto the floorboards in the back. After they had driven for some time, she managed to get out of the handcuffs and began to struggle. Joseph Gardner, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, reached over the seat, held back her head, and shot her twice in the face. The driver pulled over to the shoulder 14 miles outside Charleston, where Gardner shot her three more times in the face and once in the arm. The men then dumped her on the side of the road. Gardner, who was AWOL from the Navy, eluded police for nearly two years.
Sentences: Joseph Martin Luther Gardner: death; Matthew Carl Mack: life with eligibility for parole after 30 years; Matthew Paul Williams: life with eligibility for parole after 30 years; Danny DeWayne McCall: six years; Roger Williams: five years; Edna Lee Jenkins: seven years, which were suspended for time served; Indira Simmons: seven years, which were suspended for time served.
Victim: Melissa Ann McLaughlan
Time of Death: 6:15 pm
Manner of Execution: Lethal Injection
Last Meal: None
Final Words: Gardner left the following written statement:
"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."
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