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Joseph Gardner

1970–2008

United States

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Biography

Joseph Martin Luther Gardner (January 15, 1970 – December 5, 2008) was an American fugitive and convicted criminal who was executed in South Carolina for murder. Gardner was one of several men who kidnapped and raped 25-year-old Melissa McLauchlin on December 30, 1992. McLauchlin was then shot five times by Gardner before her body was dumped on the side of a road.

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Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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