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A South Carolina inmate on death row, convicted over two decades ago for a gruesome murder involving a message scrawled in the victim’s blood, has chosen to be executed by firing squad. The inmate, Stephen Bryant, aged 44, will face this fate on November 14, as reported by the Associated Press.
With this decision, Bryant becomes the third individual this year to opt for South Carolina’s latest method of execution. He was given a choice until Friday to decide between lethal injection, the electric chair, or a firing squad.
South Carolina’s execution practices resumed in 2024 after a 13-year hiatus caused by difficulties in procuring lethal injection drugs. Since the resumption, four inmates have chosen lethal injection, while two have opted for the firing squad.
During a sentencing hearing held at the Sumter County Courthouse, Stephen Corey Bryant listened as his defense attorney delivered the closing argument. This moment marked another chapter in the long, complex legal journey surrounding his case.
Stephen Corey Bryant listens as his defense attorney presents his closing argument during Bryant’s sentencing hearing on Tuesday at the Sumter County Court House. (AP)
Bryant admitted to fatally shooting Willard “TJ” Tietjen in his home, burning his eyes with cigarettes and painting “catch me if u can” on the wall with Tietjen’s blood.
Candles were lit around Tietjen’s body and the corner of a potholder was dipped in Tietjen’s blood and used to write “victem 4 in 2 weeks. catch me if u can” on a wall, according to officials.
Tietjen’s daughter called him six times, telling investigators on the final call, a strange voice answered and told her they killed Tietjen.
The state’s death chamber in Columbia, S.C. with the electric chair, right, and a firing squad chair, left. (South Carolina Department of Corrections via AP)
Prosecutors alleged Bryant also shot and killed two other men in October 2004, one prior to Tietjen’s death and one after.
Bryant was accused of giving the men rides and shooting them in the back as they were relieving themselves on the side of rural roads.
Bryant’s lawyers said he was distressed before the killings, repeatedly asking for help as he struggled with trauma from being sexually abused by four male relatives as a child, according to the report. He allegedly tried to cope through drug use, including meth and bug-spray-laced joints.
Death row inmates who choose death by firing squad are shot from 15 feet away. (AP)
Bryant will be shot by three volunteers, 15 feet away.
A legal battle is likely following the execution, as attorneys for the most recent man who died by firing squad claimed the executioners nearly missed his heart, causing prolonged suffering.
Witnesses reported several groans from the death row inmate, with it taking more than a minute for him to die, according to the outlet. Prison officials said executioners only have to hit the heart, and do not have to destroy it.
Since 1977, only three U.S. prisoners—all in Utah—have been executed by firing squad. This year, 41 men have been executed nationwide, with at least 18 more scheduled, according to the report.