South Carolina carried out its third firing squad execution in a year on Friday, killing Stephen Bryant, 44, despite increasing criticism of the method. Bryant was convicted of the 2004 murder of Willard 'TJ' Tietjen and had pleaded guilty to two other murders.
Bryant made no final statement before prison officials placed a hood over his head. Three shooters fired at a target placed on his heart, and he was pronounced dead at 6.05pm. Witnesses reported he took a few shallow breaths and had a final spasm before dying.
Bryant's lawyers argued he had brain damage from his mother's alcohol and drug use during pregnancy, compounded by childhood abuse. They claimed he was denied a full brain scan before his 2008 trial. The South Carolina Supreme Court declined to halt the execution.
The state attorney general's office argued Bryant was 'methodical, cunning, and took pleasure' in his crimes, including burning Tietjen's eyes with cigarettes and painting messages with his blood. They said the crimes warranted the harshest punishment.
Bryant's lawyer, Bo King, said after the execution that Bryant had been turned away from mental health treatment shortly before the killings because he could not afford a $75 fee. King described Bryant as a man who showed grace and forgiveness despite his suffering.
South Carolina has revived executions after a 13-year pause, killing seven people in rapid succession. Death row inmates now choose between the electric chair, lethal injection, or firing squad. The first firing squad execution in the US in 15 years took place in South Carolina in March.
