ST. GEORGE, Utah, March 13, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A St. George man paroled after his 1990 murder conviction has been returned to jail after he was found to illegally possess firearms and ammunition.
Joseph Charles Gardner was convicted of the murder of Janice Elaine Fondren, 30, a close friend of his ex-wife. In 1990, Gardner was ordered to serve 102 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
“According to court documents, Joseph Charles Gardner, 65, of St. George, Utah, is restricted from possessing a firearm because of his murder conviction and illegally possessed a SCCY CPX 9mm handgun, ammunition, and other firearms,” says a statement issued by the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Utah.
“The 9mm handgun crossed state lines and therefore affected interstate commerce. As stated in court documents, Gardner spent nearly 30 years in prison for a state murder conviction where he shot and killed a woman, removed her clothing, and left her lifeless body in the desert. In 2020, he was granted parole and returned to St. George,” the statement continues.
“In the fall of 2022, Gardner conspired with a coworker to conceal and dispose of stolen firearms. During an investigation, officers found one of the stolen firearms, a 9mm handgun, in Gardner’s possession. This is the same type of gun that killed his female victim in 1990. Officers also discovered thousands of bullets in three different calibers. During the investigation, law enforcement also learned that Gardner previously possessed other firearms, including an AR-15-style rifle.”
The St. George Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen P. Dent of the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
