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Brad Sigmon Scheduled for Execution in South Carolina on March 7

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Death row inmate Brad Sigmon is set execution on March 7, marking South Carolina’s fourth execution since September, according to a Friday death warrant issued by the state Supreme Court.

Sigmon, 67, will be the oldest person executed in the state since 1912, surpassing Charles T. Smith, who was executed in 1946 at age 66 for killing a police officer. Sigmon, convicted in 2002, was sentenced to death for the brutal 2001 murders of his ex-girlfriend’s parents, David and Gladys Larke, in Greenville County.

Sigmon’s Crime

Sigmon and Becky Barbare, his ex-girlfriend, had lived together in a trailer on the Larkes’ property before she ended their three-year relationship and asked him to move out.

On April 27, 2001, days after David Larke served him eviction papers, Sigmon entered the Larkes’ home, bludgeoning both victims to death with a baseball bat. Autopsy reports revealed each was struck in the head nine times, crushing their skulls.

After the murders, Sigmon attempted to kidnap Barbare, forcing her into a car at gunpoint. She managed to escape, but Sigmon shot her before fleeing the scene. He was later arrested at a campground in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where he allegedly confessed to authorities.

During his 2002 trial, Sigmon openly admitted to the killings, telling the jury:

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I am guilty.”

Sigmon declined to enter a guilty plea, opting for a jury sentencing instead.

Legal Battle Over Execution

Sigmon was first scheduled for execution in 2021, but three stays of execution followed due to the state’s inability to procure lethal injection drugs.

In 2023, South Carolina restocked its lethal drug supply following a new law that shields nearly all information about the procurement process from public disclosure. A state Supreme Court ruling in September cleared the way for executions to resume after a 13-year pause.

Sigmon’s attorneys attempted to halt his execution, arguing that the lethal injection drugs used in recent executions have led to prolonged deaths. Richard Moore, executed in November, received two massive doses of pentobarbital, a fatal sedative. Witnesses reported he remained conscious for at least four minutes, and his official time of death was not declared for 20 minutes.

Two other executed inmates, Freddie Owens (September) and Marion Bowman (last Friday), exhibited similar delays. Sigmon’s attorneys claim he cannot make an informed decision on his execution method due to the state’s secrecy surrounding the drugs. The state Supreme Court denied his request to halt the execution in a one-sentence ruling.

Sigmon has until Feb. 21 to choose his execution method—lethal injection, electrocution, or firing squad. Under a 2021 law, electrocution is the default method if no choice is made.

Clemency Efforts and Opposition

Death penalty opponents are calling on Gov. Henry McMaster to grant Sigmon clemency, arguing that he suffered from mental illness and poverty and has shown deep remorse for his crimes.

“The Brad Sigmon who South Carolina plans to execute in four weeks is a caring man and devout Christian who works every day to atone for the deaths of Gladys and David Larke,” said Gerald “Bo” King, chief of the Fourth Circuit’s capital habeas unit in the federal public defender’s office.

Sigmon has not had a violent prison offense since 2009, and his inmate record reflects loss of privileges for nonviolent infractions, such as contraband possession.

Gov. McMaster has previously stated he will not announce clemency decisions until minutes before executions. No South Carolina governor has ever commuted a death row inmate’s sentence.

Sigmon has never claimed innocence.

South Carolina Death Row Inmates

As of 2/10/25 Here are the people on South Carolina’s Death Row:

White Inmates

Aleksey, Bayan – DOB: 09/01/1998 | County: Orangeburg | Judge: E. Cottingham | ID: 005059
Bixby, Steven Vernon – Sentenced: 02/21/2007 | County: Abbeville | Judge: A. Macaulay | ID: 006024
Blackwell Sr., Ricky Lee – Sentenced: 03/16/2014 | County: Spartanburg | Judge: R. Couch | ID: 006033
Bryant, Stephen Cory – Sentenced: 09/11/2008 | County: Sumter | Judge: T. Russo | ID: 005252
Inman, Jerry Buck – Sentenced: 04/22/2009 | County: Pickens | Judge: E. Miller | ID: 005256
Jones, Timothy Ray – Sentenced: 06/13/2019 | County: Lexington | Judge: E. Griffith Jr. | ID: 005289
Robertson, James D. – Sentenced: 03/26/1999 | County: York | Judge: J. Hayes | ID: 005067
Sigmon, Brad Keith – Sentenced: 07/21/2002 | County: Greenville | Judge: J. Watson | ID: 006008
Sims, Mitchell Carlton – Sentenced: 05/13/1989 | County: Berkeley | Judge: R. Fields | ID: 004486
Stanko, Stephen Christophe – Sentenced: 08/18/2006 | County: Georgetown | Judge: D. Jefferson | ID: 006022
Starnes, Norman – Sentenced: 11/17/2007 | County: Lexington | Judge: L. Alford | ID: 005053
Stone, Bobby Wayne – Sentenced: 01/28/1997 | County: Sumter | Judge: R. Dennis Jr. | ID: 005051
Terry, Gary Dubose – Sentenced: 09/21/1997 | County: Lexington | Judge: G. Clary | ID: 005054
Torres, Andres Antonio – Sentenced: 10/23/2008 | County: Spartanburg | Judge: R. Couch | ID: 006028
Wilson, James William – Sentenced: 05/09/1989 | County: Greenwood | Judge: J. Moore | ID: 004482
Winkler, Louis Michael – Sentenced: 02/08/2008 | County: Horry | Judge: J. Lockemy | ID: 006027
Wood, John Richard – Sentenced: 02/16/2002 | County: Greenville | Judge: J. Kittredge | ID: 006005

Black Inmates

Cottrell, Luzenski Allen – Sentenced: 09/27/2014 | County: Marion | Judge: L. Hyman | ID: 006020
Council, Donnie S. – Sentenced: 10/23/1996 | County: Aiken | Judge: H. Floyd | ID: 005049
Dickerson, William – Sentenced: 05/07/2009 | County: Charleston | Judge: R. Dennis Jr. | ID: 006030
Finklea, Ron Oneal – Sentenced: 09/06/2007 | County: Lexington | Judge: C. Newman | ID: 006025
Hughes, Mar-Reece – Sentenced: 09/22/1995 | County: York | Judge: J. Hayes III | ID: 005021
Jenkins Jr., Jerome – Sentenced: 05/16/2019 | County: Horry | Judge: R. Hood | ID: 006034
Lindsey, Marion A. – Sentenced: 05/24/2004 | County: Spartanburg | Judge: J. Few | ID: 006015
Mahdi, Mikal D. – Sentenced: 12/08/2006 | County: Calhoun | Judge: C. Newman | ID: 005238
Roberts, Tyree Alphonso – Sentenced: 10/22/2003 | County: Beaufort | Judge: D. Pieper | ID: 006012
Singleton, Fred – Sentenced: 09/17/1983 | County: Newberry | Judge: J. Moore | ID: 004336
Stokes, Sammie Louis – Sentenced: 10/31/1999 | County: Orangeburg | Judge: P. Burch | ID: 005069
Woods, Anthony – Sentenced: 12/08/2006 | County: Clarendon | Judge: J. Few | ID: [ID Missing]