South Carolina carried out the execution of Stephen Bryant by firing squad on Friday, the third such killing in the state in a year despite growing criticism of the method. Bryant, 44, was convicted of the 2004 murder of Willard “TJ” Tietjen and had pleaded guilty to two other murders.
Bryant made no final statement and was hooded before three prison shooters fired. A red bull's-eye target placed on his heart flew forward, and he was pronounced dead at 6.05pm after a brief spasm. His lawyers had argued that his brain damage from prenatal alcohol and drug exposure was not considered at sentencing, but the state supreme court declined to halt the execution.
The South Carolina attorney general’s office argued that Bryant was “methodical, cunning, and took pleasure” in his crimes, citing the burning of Tietjen’s eyes with cigarettes and taunting messages painted in blood. The state has revived executions after a 13-year pause, killing seven people in rapid succession.
Bryant’s lawyer, Bo King, said in a statement that Bryant’s upbringing was marked by abuse and neglect, and that he was denied mental health care due to a $75 fee shortly before the killings. “Mr Bryant’s final wish was that no other person in need of aid face that rejection,” King said.
South Carolina death row inmates must choose between the electric chair, lethal injection, or firing squad. Lethal injection remains common but has faced scrutiny over reports of painful deaths, such as a recent case in Tennessee where a man’s lungs filled with fluid.
