Gary Gilmore was born this day in 1940. Gary Gilmore was the first prisoner to be executed in the United States in ten years-when he was executed by firing squad in Utah in 1977.

Gary Gilmore was convicted of killing a gas station employee and a motel manager in 1976. He became famous for becoming the first prisoner to be executed in the United States in ten years and for wanting to be executed. He was found guilty of the two murders and sentenced to death. There were two stays of execution by the ACLU- against his wishes. When given the choice or firing squad or hanging he chose firing squad. He attempted suicide twice before his execution.

On January 17th, 1977 he was executed at the Utah State Prison in Draper, Utah. This was a huge story at the time.

Author Norman Mailer would write a Pulitzer winning novel “The Executioners Song” based on Gilmore. There was a movie based on the book with Tommy Lee Jones as Gilmore. The Adverts had a song that was a hit in the UK called “Gary Gilmore’s Eyes” {Gilmore was an eye donor} The Nike slogan “Just Do It” was inspired by Gilmore’s last words “Let’s Do It”

Gary Gilmore’s brother Mikal Gilmore is a journalist known mostly for his work in Rolling Stone Magazine. About 20 years ago Mikal Gilmore wrote an outstanding book about his family called “Shot In The Heart”