Murder of Betty Gardner

Common card · No. 479786

On April 12, 1978, Betty Gardner, a 33-year-old black woman, was sexually assaulted, tortured, and murdered by four white people during a racially motivated hate crime in St. Helena Island, South Carolina, United States. Gardner had been hitchhiking when she was picked up by John Arnold, John Plath, Cindy Sheets, and Carol Ullman. After dropping Gardner off, Arnold suggested to the group that they kill her. Gardner was then sexually assaulted, strangled, beaten, and stabbed to death. After the murder, Arnold carved the letters "KKK" into her body. All of the perpetrators were captured at a later date. Ullman, who was 11 years old at the time of the murder, was never prosecuted due to her age. Sheets spent nearly a year in jail, but was granted immunity after she turned state's evidence and, along with Ullman, testified against Arnold and Plath. Both men were convicted and sentenced to death. They were executed by lethal injection in 1998, a few months apart. The case was notable as it marked...

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