COLUMBIA, S.C. — Brad Sigmon, a death row inmate in South Carolina, has opted for execution by firing squad, a method that has not been implemented in the United States for 15 years. His execution is set for March 7, making him the first inmate in South Carolina to select the newly introduced firing squad option over the other execution methods available, which include lethal injection and the electric chair.
Only three prisoners have faced execution by firing squad in the U.S. since 1976, all of whom were executed in Utah, with the most recent case occurring in 2010. For Sigmon, who is 67 years old, the procedure will involve being restrained in a chair with a hood over his head and a target positioned over his heart. Three shooters will then fire from a distance of approximately 15 feet through a small aperture.
Earlier this month, Sigmon’s legal team requested a postponement of his execution. They aimed to investigate whether Marion Bowman, another South Carolina inmate who was executed on January 31, received two doses of pentobarbital and to examine his autopsy report. Their request was denied by the justices, and there is no available record indicating whether Sigmon’s attorneys have yet received Bowman’s autopsy details.
Sigmon’s attorney, Gerald “Bo” King, expressed that Sigmon did not choose the electric chair due to concerns that it would cause “burning and cooking him alive.” Instead, King highlighted that choosing lethal injection posed risks of a drawn-out and painful death, referencing the experiences of three other inmates executed in South Carolina in recent months, who endured a prolonged process lasting over twenty minutes before being declared dead.
Sigmon reportedly felt that South Carolina’s lack of transparency regarding lethal injections pushed him toward selecting the firing squad, which he believes will be a more violent demise. According to King, Sigmon wished to minimize suffering for his family, witnesses, and execution personnel but felt compelled to make a choice given the state’s secretive practices.
Sigmon’s conviction stemmed from the brutal slaying of his ex-girlfriend’s parents in 2001, where he allegedly killed them with a baseball bat and then attempted to kidnap his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint. He later confessed that he couldn’t bear the thought of anyone else being with her.
If executed, Sigmon would become the oldest inmate to be executed in South Carolina since the reinstatement of the death penalty in the U.S. in 1976. His attorneys are mounting one final appeal to the state Supreme Court, asserting that his trial lawyers lacked the necessary experience to adequately defend him, including failing to prevent his jury statement and not sufficiently addressing his mental illness and troubled upbringing during sentencing.
Additionally, Sigmon’s last opportunity for clemency may come from a request to Republican Governor Henry McMaster to reduce his sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. His legal team notes that he has become a model prisoner and is recognized by guards for his daily efforts to redeem himself for his past actions, arguing that executing him would send a negative message about the state’s willingness to acknowledge personal reform.
In the nearly five decades since the death penalty was restored, no clemency has been granted by any governor in South Carolina. In 2022, the state invested approximately $54,000 to establish a dedicated area for execution by firing squad adjacent to the electric chair. Authorities installed bulletproof glass in the viewing area, a chair designed to capture blood, and a wall for shooters, allowing witnesses to see the inmate’s profile but not the firing squad itself.
The decision to allow the firing squad was prompted by issues obtaining lethal injection drugs, as suppliers were unwilling to provide them if their identities were made public. While a privacy protection law was passed subsequently, the firing squad option remained legally viable. Sigmon’s lawyers indicated that one reason he rejected lethal injection was the troubling outcomes of the last three executions carried out by South Carolina, where it took significantly longer for inmates to be declared dead.
Among the executions, only one autopsy report was made available, that of Richard Moore, who was reportedly given two significant doses of pentobarbital 11 minutes apart on November 1. Freddie Owens, the first inmate executed under the new protocols, declined an autopsy for religious reasons. Sigmon’s legal representatives commented on Moore’s autopsy, noting that it revealed an unusual amount of fluid in his lungs, which an expert suggested may have led to a sensation of drowning. On the other hand, state attorneys asserted that such fluid accumulation is typical in executions utilizing large doses of pentobarbital and maintained that the inmates appeared conscious for approximately a minute after the process began.
