Attorneys for a South Carolina death row inmate whose execution is imminent are making a last-ditch argument that their client is incompetent to be executed partly because of his belief that he is a sovereign citizen.

Steven Bixby and his father, Arthur Bixby, led a 12-hour gun battle with law enforcement in Abbeville, South Carolina, on Dec. 8, 2003, that resulted in the deaths of two police officers. 

The standoff, during which thousands of rounds of ammunition were exchanged between the Bixbys and police, stemmed from an attempt by the South Carolina Department of Transportation to widen a highway by using an easement on Bixby property. The Bixbys claimed that the easement was fabricated, or in any case irrelevant. 

The family, including Bixby’s mother Rita, was well known for their sovereign citizen beliefs. 

In 2003, the state was beginning the widening process and land surveyors were making markings on the property to begin the job, causing tension between state authorities and the Bixbys. 

On the morning of Dec. 8, 2003, a surveyor called the police on Steven and Arthur Bixby for threatening him.

Abbeville County sheriff’s Sgt. Danny Wilson responded to the call and was immediately shot by Bixby. He was dragged inside the Bixby home, shackled with his own handcuffs, and died sometime during the 14-hour standoff that ensued. 

State constable Donnie Ouzts responded after communications from Wilson ceased. He, too, was immediately shot and killed by Bixby on the front lawn of the property. 

After a 14-hour gunfight with SWAT teams and law enforcement from around the state, Steven and Arthur Bixby were finally arrested.