s ons ▁chose ▁to ▁die ▁by ▁le th al ▁injection , ▁and ▁he ▁sh unn ed ▁attention , ▁describing ▁himself ▁as ▁" U t ah ' s ▁forgotten ▁in mate ". ▁His ▁ 1 9 9 9 ▁execution ▁at ▁Ut ah ▁State ▁Pr ison ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁to ▁be ▁carried ▁out ▁in ▁a ▁new ▁chamber ▁designed ▁for ▁both ▁le th al ▁in jections ▁and ▁firing ▁squad s . ▁ ▁Background ▁Joseph ▁Mitchell ▁Par s ons ▁was ▁born ▁on ▁July ▁ 2 2 , ▁ 1 9 6 4 ▁to ▁Joseph ▁Michael ▁and ▁Marie ▁Par s ons ▁in ▁New ▁York ▁City . ▁For ▁the ▁first ▁five ▁years ▁of ▁Mitchell ' s ▁life , ▁his ▁father ▁was ▁in car cer ated . ▁His ▁parents ▁worked ▁odd ▁jobs ▁from ▁se wing ▁f uz zy ▁dice ▁to ▁construction . ▁Joseph ▁Mitchell ' s ▁half - s ister ▁Din ah ▁said ▁that ▁his ▁father ▁beat ▁him ▁frequently ▁until ▁he ▁wet ▁himself . ▁After ▁Joseph ▁Michael ▁left ▁the ▁family , ▁Marie ▁took ▁Joseph ▁Mitchell ▁and ▁Din ah ▁to ▁Florida , ▁where ▁Marie ▁met ▁and ▁married ▁Lawrence ▁Gordon . ▁Din ah ▁met ▁a ▁drug ▁deal er ▁nick named ▁Y og i , ▁who ▁Par s ons ▁adm ired . ▁Par s ons ▁later ▁adopted ▁the ▁nick name ▁and ▁had ▁" Y og i " ▁t atto o ed ▁onto ▁his ▁right ▁arm . ▁ ▁After ▁a ▁year ▁in ▁Florida , ▁Par s ons ▁was ▁caught ▁ste aling ▁c ash ▁from ▁an ▁a partment ▁management ▁office . ▁He ▁ended ▁up ▁with