John Arnold and John Plath were executed by the State of South Carolina for the murder of Betty Gardner
According to court documents John Arnold and John Plath would pick up Betty Gardner who was hitchhiking. The woman would be sexually assaulted, tortured and murdered
Arnold and Plath would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
John Arnold would be executed on March 7 1998 by lethal injection
John Plath would be executed on July 10 1998 by lethal injection
John Arnold Case
A white man who strangled a black hitchhiker and carved K.K.K. into her body 20 years ago was executed on Friday by lethal injection.
The man, John Arnold, 43, was convicted of killing Betty Gardner. Ms. Gardner, 33, was picked up by Mr. Arnold, his cousin John Plath and a female companion in 1978 as she made her way home.
The companion, Cindy Sheets, led the police to Ms. Gardner’s body and testified against the cousins under a grant of immunity. Ms. Sheets said Mr. Arnold had strangled Ms. Gardner with a garden hose while Mr. Plath stabbed her with a knife and a bottle and stomped on her neck.
Mr. Plath is expected to be executed by early summer. Mr. Arnold is the 14th person to be executed in South Carolina since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
