A man on death row in South Carolina is scheduled to be executed by a firing squad on Friday evening, marking the third such execution in the state this year alone.
The Condemned and the Crime
Stephen Bryant, 44, was convicted for a series of brutal killings that terrorised a rural area of South Carolina over five days in 2004. Bryant admitted to murdering three people. His first victim was Willard “TJ” Tietjen, whom he shot multiple times after approaching his secluded home under the pretence of having car trouble.
In a chilling act, Bryant then answered Tietjen’s ringing phone, informing both the victim's wife and daughter that he was a prowler and had killed him. Authorities stated that Bryant also killed two other men, offering them rides before shooting them in the back when they stopped to urinate by the roadside.
His defence lawyers argued that Bryant was deeply troubled in the months leading up to the murders, having begged for help to cope with traumatic memories of childhood sexual abuse. They claimed he attempted to self-medicate with methamphetamine and joints sprayed with insecticide.
The Revival of the Firing Squad
The execution is set to be carried out by three volunteer prison employees, all armed with live ammunition. South Carolina, like several other US states, has revived the firing squad method after a struggle to obtain the drugs required for lethal injections.
This shortage led to a 13-year pause in executions in the state, which only resumed in September 2024. Since then, four men have been executed by lethal injection and two by firing squad. Proponents of the method argue it is the quickest and most humane option, a point contested by others given its violent history and potential for error.
Lawyers for Mikal Mahdi, the last man executed by firing squad in South Carolina, suggested their client suffered agonising pain because the shooters barely hit the bottom of his heart, rather than delivering a direct, instantly fatal shot.
A Grim Milestone in US Capital Punishment
Bryant has no pending appeals, and a last-minute decision on clemency from the governor is considered highly unlikely, as no South Carolina governor has granted clemency since the death penalty resumed in the US in 1976.
This execution will be the 43rd court-ordered execution in the United States so far this year. At least 14 other individuals are scheduled to be put to death before the end of 2025 and into next year. For South Carolina, Bryant will become the 50th person executed since the state reinstated the death penalty four decades ago.
The procedure will see Bryant strapped to a chair with a target placed over his heart. After a final statement, a hood will be placed over his head, and a firing squad will discharge their rifles from just 15 feet away.
