South Carolina man set to face a firing squad seeks postponement, questioning execution procedures
Share and Follow


COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina man who is scheduled to die next week by firing squad is again asking that his execution be postponed and prison officials release more information about the state’s lethal injection drug and procedures.

Lawyers for Brad Sigmon said he is being forced to choose a violent death by firing squad because without more information he thinks he could die a tortuous death if he picked lethal injection.

Sigmon’s attorney said autopsy results from Marion Bowman’s Jan. 31 execution released earlier this week showed he needed twice the dose of the lethal injection drug typically used in other states and by the federal government, according to court papers filed Wednesday with the state Supreme Court.

An autopsy for Richard Moore, who was executed on Nov. 1, found the same amount of pentobarbital was used to kill him over two doses given 11 minutes apart, according to his autopsy.

South Carolina’s execution law requires officials to keep secret the doses of drugs used, how they are administered, who provides the pentobarbital and the names of members of the execution staff. Because of the secrecy, it’s not known if the new procedures put in place last year require two doses of pentobarbital.

South Carolina has said its methods are similar to other states that use one dose of pentobarbital. In Georgia and Tennessee, only one 5 gram dose of the drug is scheduled for the start of the execution. The autopsy findings for Bowman and Moore showed they had 10 grams of the lethal injection drug in their systems.

Sigmon, 67, is scheduled to be put to death on March 7. He was convicted in the 2001 baseball bat killings of his ex-girlfriend’s parents at their home in Greenville County. Sigmon was trying to kidnap his ex-girlfriend and confessed that he was likely going to kill her and then himself. He forced her into his car when she arrived at her parents’ home, but she jumped out of it as Sigmon drove and escaped.

Sigmon’s lawyers also said they want the state to release more information about the lethal injection drugs including how the drug is stored, its expiration date and details about how officials test it to make sure of its potency and purity.

They said Sigmon was forced into choosing a brutal death in what would be the first firing squad execution in the U.S. since 2010 because he feared the state’s lethal injection procedure — if carried out improperly — would leave him to drown from an accumulation of fluid in his lungs.

“Mr. Sigmon will be executed in nine days by a method that he chose out of necessity, fear of a torturous death, and without the information needed to assess his alternatives,” Sigmon’s lawyers wrote.

Previous arguments that the state didn’t release enough information about the lethal injection drugs have been rejected by the South Carolina Supreme Court after state officials said fluid is often found in the lungs of prisoners killed by lethal injection.

The state also cited accounts by witnesses and other evidence that the three inmates executed in the past six months by lethal injection showed no signs of consciousness or breathing after about a minute — even if they weren’t declared dead for over 20 minutes after the execution started.

Freddie Owens, the first inmate killed with the new protocols, refused an autopsy for religious reasons.

If the execution is carried out as planned, Sigmon is to be strapped to a chair in the death chamber and have a hood placed over his head and a target placed over his heart. Three volunteers, all with live ammunition, would then fire at him through a small opening about 15 feet (4.6 meters) away.

State law allows inmates to die by firing squad, lethal injection or the electric chair. Sigmon’s lawyers said he also didn’t choose the chair because he said he didn’t want to be cooked alive.

“Brad Sigmon has repeatedly asked for the basic facts needed to determine if South Carolina’s drugs are expired, diluted, or spoiled. He has thus far been denied. He chose the firing squad because he was unwilling to risk the prolonged, torturous death that he fears his friends endured. Mr. Bowman’s autopsy confirms that those fears were justified,” lawyer Gerald “Bo” King wrote in a statement Wednesday.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Nickelodeon ex-child star's dad says she was run over 'like roadkill'

Former Nickelodeon Star’s Father Claims She Was Treated Unfairly

The father of former Nickelodeon actress Kianna Anderson has opened up about…
Iran’s supreme leader acknowledges thousands killed as Trump calls for new leadership: reports

Iran’s Supreme Leader Admits to Mass Casualties Amid Trump’s Urge for Regime Change: Breaking News

For the first time, Iran’s supreme leader has admitted that the recent…
Police slam judge's ruling banning non-lethal weapons, saying he's putting lives in danger

Controversial Ruling: Police Criticize Judge’s Ban on Non-Lethal Weapons as Public Safety Risk

Rank-and-file police personnel have sharply criticized a federal judge, labeling them an…
Nicole Kidman's subtle but devastating digs at Keith Urban revealed

Nicole Kidman’s Subtle Jabs at Keith Urban: Unveiling the Hidden Tensions

Just two months ago, Nicole Kidman, fresh from a separation, exuded a…
Justice Department says members of Congress can't intervene in release of Jeffrey Epstein files

Justice Department Blocks Congress: No Intervention in Jeffrey Epstein Files Release

In New York, the leading federal prosecutor in Manhattan announced on Friday…
Mystery deepens around woman, 21, who vanished on her way home

Intrigue Intensifies Surrounding 21-Year-Old Woman’s Disappearance En Route Home

An Arizona woman remains missing after she disappeared following a visit to…
'Bug' Broadway show abruptly cancels preview performance due to illness

Carrie Coon Reveals Health Scare: The Untold Story Behind Her ‘Bug’ Broadway Debut Delay

Despite an initial scare, the premiere of the Broadway show went ahead…
Oldest grocery store that shuns self-checkouts and welcomes the rich

Historic Grocery Store Embraces Tradition Over Technology, Catering to Affluent Shoppers

Nestled in the hills of a quaint Californian town lies a grocery…