John W. Deering (September 1898 – October 31, 1938) was a convicted murderer who was the subject of an experiment to observe what would happen to the human heart during death by gunshot.

Deering, an American facing execution by the state of Utah for the May 1938 murder of Oliver R. Meredith Jr., volunteered to have himself hooked up to an electrocardiogram while he was shot by a firing squad.

The test indicated that his heart stopped in about 15 seconds of being hit, although other bodily functions, such as breathing, continued for a longer period of time.

'At around 9:00 pm on May 9, 1938, in Salt Lake City, 52-year-old real estate businessman Oliver R. Meredith Jr. was found shot and bleeding to death in his car.

[7] A .38-caliber shell casing was found nearby and matched bullets retrieved from Meredith's body and also from a carjacking on May 7 of Maurice L. Howe and his wife, Lucie.

[10] Hoping to be executed after hearing of his mother's death,[12] Deering confessed to kidnapping the Howes and killing Meredith in Salt Lake City.

[13] Judge Schiller noted Deering's "most extraordinary attitude" in refusing counsel and seeking his "constitutional right" to plead guilty to face the death penalty.

"[13] The court later appointed public defender Clifford L. Ashton to represent Deering, who requested execution by firing squad over the other option of hanging at his sentencing hearing on September 24.

[2][6] He publicly stated, "Build more athletic fields and gymnasiums ... Give children more play facilities to keep their minds on wholesome activities.

Prison doctor Stephen H. Besley connected sensors on Deering's wrists to an electrocardiogram,[2] which indicated that his heart rate jumped from 72 beats per minute to over 180 when he was strapped to a chair in front of the firing squad.

[19] I'm going out there and prove that those guys who said life begins at 40 are cockeyed liars.On November 1, 1938, Doctor Besley discussed his observations of Deering with the press: "He put on a good front.

Deering's eyes, which he had willed for corneal transplantation,[2] were immediately removed, frozen, and flown via United Airlines to San Francisco.

Deering's body was donated to the medical department of the University of Utah,[32] so that, in his own words, he could finally receive a "high class education".