Opinion ID: 2511886
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: mr. gardner's direct appeal is denied

Text: ¶ 11 On direct appeal, Mr. Gardner raised at least sixteen challenges to his conviction and sentence, including that: (1) the district court abused its discretion when it denied Mr. Gardner a change of venue; (2) the trial judge should have recused himself because he worked in the Hall of Justice where the shooting occurred; (3) Utah's death penalty scheme was unconstitutional; (4) evidence of two of his prior convictions should not have been admitted during the guilt phase of his trial; (5) he was improperly denied a challenge for cause; (6) the excessive presence of security in the courtroom denied him a right to a fair trial; (7) the trial judge violated his rights under the Confrontation Clause when he cut short recross-examination of a witness; (8) the testimony of Wayne Jorgensen, a corrections officer, about a conversation with Mr. Gardner violated Mr. Gardner's rights under Miranda and Massiah; (9) the trial court gave an erroneous jury instruction on the lesser offense of manslaughter; (10) the trial court erred when it gave an oral instruction that might lead jurors to believe they had to acquit Mr. Gardner of the charged offense before considering lesser-included offenses; (11) the trial court erred when it denied his motion for a directed verdict; (12) the trial court erred when it admitted, as an aggravating factor in the penalty phase, evidence of a previous homicide he had committed; (13) his sentence was not proportional to other sentences given in Utah capital cases; (14) prosecutors had allegedly engaged in several instances of misconduct; (15) he received ineffective assistance of counsel because his attorneys failed to object to testimony by Officer Jorgensen, Dr. Heinbecker, and Mr. Fuchs; and (16) his conviction resulted from impermissible cumulative error. We were convinced that [Mr. Gardner's] constitutional rights were cautiously guarded at all phases of the proceeding and we upheld Mr. Gardner's convictions and sentences, including his death sentence. [30] Our decision on Mr. Gardner's direct appeal issued in 1989; the United States Supreme Court denied his writ of certiorari in 1990. [31]