South Carolina has carried out its first execution in more than eleven years, putting to death Stephen Bryant for the brutal 1994 murder of a convenience store clerk.
The 53-year-old inmate received a lethal injection at the Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia and was pronounced dead at 6:22 pm local time on Friday.
A Crime That Shook the Community
Bryant was convicted of the fatal stabbing of 24-year-old Joseph 'Joey' Chinn, who was working alone at the Pantry convenience store in Columbia on 19th November 1994. Prosecutors described how Bryant entered the store intending to rob it, leading to a violent confrontation that ended with Chinn being stabbed multiple times.
"This was a cold-blooded murder of a young man simply doing his job," said South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson in a statement following the execution. "Justice has been served, though it comes decades after the crime."
Long Road to Justice
Bryant's case highlights the lengthy appeals process common in death penalty cases. Originally sentenced to death in 1995, his conviction was overturned in 2001 due to procedural errors. He was again sentenced to death in 2008 after a retrial.
The execution proceeded after Republican Governor Henry McMaster signed Bryant's death warrant last month, setting the stage for South Carolina's first execution since 2011.
Debate Over Execution Methods
South Carolina had faced difficulties obtaining lethal injection drugs, leading to a legislative change in 2021 that made the electric chair the default method unless inmates choose lethal injection. Bryant opted for lethal injection, and the state was able to procure the necessary drugs.
Anti-death penalty advocates protested outside the prison, holding vigil for what they called a "broken system." Meanwhile, victim advocacy groups expressed relief that the sentence was finally carried out.
The execution marks a significant moment in South Carolina's criminal justice history, reopening debates about capital punishment in the state after more than a decade without executions.
