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Brad Sigmon, Convicted Murderer in South Carolina, has Chosen to Die by Firing Squad

By James Seidel, CC News Network

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Brad Sigmon, a convicted murderer in South Carolina, has chosen to die by firing squad, marking the first such execution in the U.S. in 15 years. Sigmon rejected lethal injection due to concerns over prolonged suffering and refused the electric chair for its painful effects.

Sigmon’s lawyers are making a final appeal, arguing that his trial attorneys were inexperienced and failed to present key mitigating factors.

A Historic Decision
Brad Sigmon, 67, is scheduled to be executed on March 7, becoming the first South Carolina inmate to choose the state’s new firing squad option over lethal injection or the electric chair.

Brad Sigmon will be strapped to a chair, with a hood placed over his head and a target positioned over his heart. Three volunteers will fire at him through a small opening about 15 feet away.

South Carolina’s last execution was carried out by lethal injection in 2011. The state’s inability to procure the drugs needed for lethal injections led to the approval of firing squad executions in 2021.

Legal Battle Continues
Earlier this month, Sigmon’s lawyers requested a delay of his execution, seeking information about whether South Carolina’s previous execution involved two doses of pentobarbital and access to the autopsy report. However, the justices denied the delay, and court records indicate that Sigmon’s legal team has not yet received Bowman’s autopsy report.

In a statement, Sigmon’s attorney Gerald “Bo” King wrote that his client chose the firing squad because the electric chair “would burn and cook him alive.” King added, “If he chose lethal injection, he risked the prolonged death suffered by the three men South Carolina has executed since September… men Brad knew and cared for… who remained alive, strapped to a gurney, for more than twenty minutes.”

King criticized South Carolina’s “unnecessary and unconscionable secrecy” surrounding its execution methods, stating that Sigmon made his decision based on what he believed to be the least painful option.

The Backstory
Brad Sigmon was convicted in 2001 for the brutal killings of his ex-girlfriend’s parents in Greenville County. Armed with a baseball bat, he beat them to death in separate rooms. He then kidnapped his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint, but she managed to escape from his car, narrowly avoiding being shot.

“I couldn’t have her; I wasn’t going to let anybody else have her,” Sigmon confessed.

Brad Sigmon, who would be the oldest inmate executed since South Carolina reinstated the death penalty in 1976, has spent years as a model prisoner, according to his lawyers.

South Carolina’s Death Penalty Laws and Policies
South Carolina is one of only four states that allows executions by firing squad. The state legislature approved this method in response to difficulties obtaining drugs for lethal injection, as pharmaceutical suppliers refused to sell them publicly.

In 2021, South Carolina spent approximately $54,000 constructing a firing squad area in its death chamber. The chamber includes bulletproof glass on the witness window, a chair with a basin underneath to catch blood, and a wall for the shooters to stand behind. Witnesses will be able to see the inmate’s profile but not the firing squad itself.

Since reinstating the death penalty in 1976, South Carolina has executed 46 inmates. No South Carolina governor has granted clemency in the 49 years since executions resumed.

In South Carolina, the firing squad execution process is designed with specific procedures to ensure both security and the completion of the execution. Here is an overview of how the firing squad works:

Execution Process for Firing Squad in South Carolina

Preparation: The condemned inmate is brought into the death chamber and seated in a special execution chair. The chair has restraints to secure the inmate’s hands, feet, and body to prevent movement.
Target Placement: A hood is placed over the inmate’s head, and a target is positioned over the inmate’s heart.
Shooter Configuration: The firing squad is composed of three volunteer shooters who are law enforcement officers or corrections staff. The shooters are stationed behind a wall with small openings to ensure that only the barrels of their rifles are visible.
Rifle Setup: Each shooter is equipped with a .30 caliber rifle. One of the rifles is loaded with a blank round, so none of the shooters knows for certain which rifle fired the fatal shot. This is intended to provide a level of psychological distance for the shooters.
Execution: Upon receiving the signal, the shooters aim at the target over the inmate’s heart and fire simultaneously. The goal is to ensure a quick and fatal result.
Medical Confirmation: After the shots are fired, a physician or coroner checks the inmate for signs of life. Once death is confirmed, the execution is officially pronounced.
Witness Area: The death chamber includes a witness area separated by bulletproof glass. Witnesses can view the execution from the side, seeing the inmate’s profile but not the firing squad.

Legal and Facility Setup

In 2022, South Carolina constructed a specific area for firing squad executions, which cost approximately $54,000.
The setup includes a chair with a basin underneath to catch blood, a wall for the shooters to stand behind, and a bulletproof glass panel in the witness area.
The firing squad method was approved after the state experienced difficulty obtaining drugs for lethal injections.

What’s Next?

Sigmon’s lawyers have one final appeal, asking the state Supreme Court to halt his execution to hold a hearing on their argument that Sigmon’s trial attorneys were inexperienced and failed to present mitigating evidence, such as his mental illness and difficult upbringing.

The only remaining option to spare Sigmon’s life may be a plea for clemency from Republican Gov. Henry McMaster. Sigmon’s lawyers argue that executing him would send a message that South Carolina refuses to acknowledge the possibility of redemption.

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