Brad Sigmon, a 67-year-old inmate in South Carolina, has chosen to be executed by a firing squad on March 7. This method has not been used in the U.S. for 15 years. He is the first person in South Carolina to select this option over lethal injection or the electric chair.
Since 1976, only three people in the U.S. have been executed by firing squad, all in Utah. The last firing squad execution happened in 2010.
Why Sigmon Chose Firing Squad
Sigmon’s lawyers argued that he rejected the electric chair because it would “burn and cook him alive.” He also avoided lethal injection because of issues in recent executions. Three men executed with lethal injection in South Carolina since September took over 20 minutes to die, which Sigmon found deeply concerning.
His attorney, Gerald “Bo” King, said that South Carolina keeps its lethal injection process secret, making it impossible for Sigmon to trust the method. Because of this, he chose what he saw as a more certain and immediate death.
How the Execution Will Happen
Sigmon will be strapped to a chair with a hood over his head, and a target will be placed on his heart. Three trained shooters will fire at him from 15 feet away through small openings in a wall. The execution will take place in a special area built in 2022 for $54,000. This area has bulletproof glass for witnesses and a chair with a basin underneath to collect blood.
Sigmon’s Crimes and Legal Battles
Sigmon was convicted in 2001 for killing his ex-girlfriend’s parents with a baseball bat in their Greenville County home. He also kidnapped his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint, but she managed to escape. Prosecutors said he later admitted, “If I couldn’t have her, I wasn’t going to let anyone else have her.”
His lawyers have made a final appeal to the South Carolina Supreme Court, arguing that his trial attorneys were inexperienced and failed to present important evidence about his mental health and childhood trauma. If the appeal fails, Sigmon’s only hope is for Governor Henry McMaster to grant clemency, which no South Carolina governor has done in 49 years.
The Future of Executions in South Carolina
The state approved the firing squad option after struggling to obtain lethal injection drugs. Even after passing a law to protect drug suppliers’ identities, the firing squad remained as an alternative method.
Sigmon’s case has sparked debate over the fairness and ethics of the death penalty, with his lawyers arguing that he has reformed and is a trusted, well-behaved prisoner. However, South Carolina remains firm in carrying out the execution.
