The firing squad in Utah as long been linked to the Mormon doctrine of blood atonement
Few people realize just exactly how much the practice was and still is linked.
In the above photo, we have Senator Mike Lee's great-great-great grandfather, John D. Lee, about to atone personally for the Mountain Meadows Massacre. [The LDS would have us believe that he murdered more than 120 Christian gentiles all by himself ... without any authorization or knowledge whatsoever from Brigham Young]. Lee is sitting on his coffin at the site of the Mountain Meadows Massacre a few minutes before his execution – a US Marshall holding Lee's death warrant is standing to the far left
Estimates vary widely as per how many Saints were used up in Missouri, Illinois, Utah, and elsewhere. I have seen credible estimates ranging from a low of about 800 to a high of upwards of 8,000.
Porter Rockwell was a close personal friend to Joseph Smith and at times his personal bodyguard. He gained the distinction as the worst serial killer in American history as a Mormon enforcer. Scholars estimate that he personally used up about 150 souls, excluding his contributions to the Bear River Massacre and the Utah Mormon War of 1858.
You should note that this terrible practice, instituted by Joseph Smith in 1838, continues to this day among some Mormon sects. For example, Flora Jessop (shown above) is in hiding at the present time because of a death sentence commanded by FLDS prophets. Her crime was to draw attention to their polygamous practices and assist some of their child brides in escaping a life of bondage.
You should also note that hundreds more Saints who interfered with plural marriages (for example, sharing wives without the permission of the head male) received their atonement by being cut close and square. Thousands more were beaten mercilessly, usually by canes, until sufficient blood was spilled for infractions in the Word of Wisdom and the Witness.