COLUMBIA, S.C. — As his execution date approaches, a South Carolina inmate is once again appealing for a delay and requesting more transparency regarding the state’s lethal injection procedures and drugs. Brad Sigmon, who is scheduled to be executed by firing squad next week, is being compelled to choose this manner of death due to uncertainties surrounding the lethal injection process, which he fears could result in a painful demise.
Sigmon’s legal team has highlighted recent autopsy reports that indicate Marion Bowman required a dose double that typically used in other states during his execution on January 31. Similarly, the autopsy of Richard Moore, executed on November 1, revealed two doses of pentobarbital administered 11 minutes apart.
State laws in South Carolina maintain confidentiality over specifics concerning the lethal drugs, including dosages, administration techniques, and supplier information. This secrecy has left it unclear whether the procedures adopted last year mandate two doses of pentobarbital. However, state officials have insisted their protocols align with those in states like Georgia and Tennessee, where a single 5-gram dose is the standard.
Slated for execution on March 7, the 67-year-old Sigmon faces demise as a consequence of his conviction for the brutal 2001 slayings of his ex-girlfriend’s parents in Greenville County. His lawyers continue to press the state to disclose more specific information about the lethal drugs, including storage methods, expiration dates, and the testing procedures to confirm their efficacy and purity.
The urgency of Sigmon’s requests stems from his apprehension about dying painfully, as he could not ascertain the safety of the lethal injection process. Consequently, he opted for what could be the first firing squad execution in the U.S. since 2010. “Mr. Sigmon has chosen this method from a place of necessity and fear of a cruel death, without adequate information to evaluate his options,” his attorneys articulated.
Previous attempts to compel the disclosure of lethal injection details have been thwarted by the South Carolina Supreme Court, despite assertions from state officials that fluid accumulation in the lungs is a regular post-mortem finding in prisoners executed this way. The state has also pointed to witness accounts and other evidence suggesting that prisoners displayed no signs of awareness shortly after the administration of the drugs.
Should the execution proceed as planned, Sigmon will face the firing squad, being restrained in a chair with a hood placed over his head and a target over his heart. Three trained volunteers would execute the process by firing at him from a short distance. State law offers inmates a choice between the firing squad, lethal injection, or the electric chair. Sigmon declined the electric chair, describing it as an unbearable prospect.
“Brad Sigmon has repeatedly sought critical information to confirm whether South Carolina’s execution drugs are compromised. Thus far, he has been denied. His fears of a prolonged, agonizing death, fortified by Mr. Bowman’s autopsy, led him to choose the firing squad,” lawyer Gerald “Bo” King expressed in a statement.
