
Meet Steven Bixby: SC Death Row Inmate. His Execution is now Delayed Amid Mental Competency Debate
Columbia, S.C. — The legal battle over Steven Bixby and his mental competency and pending execution has taken another turn as the South Carolina Supreme Court considers motions regarding his mental health status. Bixby, 57, was sentenced to death in 2007 for the murders of two officers during a 2003 standoff in Abbeville County. His attorneys argue that he is mentally incompetent, which should prevent his execution under state law.
New Motions Filed
On Dec. 7, 2024, the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office submitted a motion requesting the Supreme Court to delay its ruling on Bixby’s stay of execution and to order disclosure of his mental health records. The motion calls for mental health professionals at the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC), who oversee Bixby’s daily care, to provide affidavits regarding his competency.
Citing S.C. Code of Laws Ann. § 19-11-95(D)(1), the state argues that medical confidentiality laws can be superseded when an inmate’s competency is in question. Specifically, the motion asserts that Bixby’s “bizarre and paranoid beliefs” make him unable to comprehend basic legal procedures or effectively communicate with his attorneys.
Attorney General Alan Wilson and Deputy Attorney General Donald Zelenka have emphasized the importance of this information in assessing Bixby’s claims of incompetency, noting the substantial burden placed on his defense team to prove their argument.



Mental Competency and Legal Standards
Dr. Richard DeMier, a forensic psychologist retained by Bixby’s defense, previously reported that Bixby suffers from significant mental deficits. According to DeMier, Bixby does not understand the nature of legal proceedings and cannot rationally communicate with his attorneys. His findings highlight bizarre beliefs Bixby holds, including:
- Claims that prison officials injected him with a tracking device.
- Assertions that crime scene photos contain evidence of an angel’s presence.
- Beliefs that divine messages in numbers justified his actions.
- Allegations that the blood on his clothing contains the DNA of Christ.
The Attorney General’s motion argues that further evaluation is necessary to substantiate or refute these claims. The requested affidavits from SCDC mental health professionals would provide insight into Bixby’s daily mental state and communication abilities.
History of the Case
A Land Dispute That Turned Deadly: The Events Leading to the 2003 Standoff
In the early 2000s, South Carolina began the process of widening Highway 72, a project that would stretch from the Georgia state line to east of Abbeville. The project required the state to utilize its easement rights, including a strip of land roughly ten feet in length on the Bixby family property. The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) determined in late 2003 that it needed this portion of the Bixbys’ land for construction. However, the Bixby family viewed this as an unconstitutional theft of their property and staunchly resisted the project.
The Bixbys filed numerous appeals to state officials, claiming that the easement had been obtained illegally. Some of these appeals, sent after the standoff had concluded, were filled with fervent references to constitutional rights, including the New Hampshire state constitution and its revolutionary-era motto, “Live Free or Die.” The family’s defiance was clear in a November 4, 2003, email from Rita Bixby, where she warned family and friends, “If anything is done on our property, there will be two shotguns that will not be just for show.”
Tensions escalated on December 4, 2003, when SCDOT officials visited the Bixby home to deliver a copy of the easement and informed the family that 20 feet of their property would be taken for the project. Rita and Arthur Bixby responded with a letter quoting Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty, or give me death!” and John Stark’s “Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils,” ending with, “We, the undersigned, echo those sentiments.”
The following day, SCDOT officials began staking out the land for construction. In response, the Bixbys posted signs on their property prohibiting “govermen [sic] agents and all others” from trespassing. Evidence presented at later trials indicated that the family had already begun fortifying their home for a standoff, removing survey stakes, and issuing increasingly heated threats against anyone attempting to enter their property.
The Deadly Standoff
On the morning of December 8, 2003, tensions boiled over. A highway worker accused Arthur and Steven Bixby of making threatening statements and disrupting survey work. Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Danny “Danny Boy” Wilson arrived at the property around 9:15 a.m. in response to the complaint, but he was shot at point-blank range by Steven Bixby with a 7mm Magnum rifle. According to court testimony, Steven then dragged Wilson’s body into the house, handcuffed him with his own cuffs, and declared a “citizen’s arrest” while reading Wilson his Miranda rights. Wilson died from his wounds over the course of the next fourteen hours.
Soon after, State Constable Donnie Ouzts arrived to investigate, unaware of what had transpired. He, too, was fatally shot—struck in the back by a bullet that pierced his heart and liver. Both officers’ injuries were severe and almost immediately fatal, according to forensic testimony presented during the trials.
As law enforcement arrived, they were met with heavy gunfire from the Bixbys, initiating a standoff that would last more than 12 hours. Approximately 200 law enforcement officers from various agencies, including SWAT and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), surrounded the Bixby residence. The gunfire was so intense that officers had to be resupplied with ammunition multiple times, with thousands of rounds exchanged. Local residents reported hearing the continuous gunfire over a mile away.
During the standoff, Rita Bixby, who was at Steven’s nearby apartment, called the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office. She claimed that the state had “decided they were going to come in and take our property,” and that her husband and son were engaged in a “shootout” to protect it. At one point, Rita threatened bystanders near the apartment, effectively taking the surrounding area hostage.
The Standoff’s Climax
By late afternoon, Rita surrendered to law enforcement but refused to assist in negotiations with her husband and son. Authorities discovered an arsenal of high-powered firearms and anti-government literature in Rita’s possession. Meanwhile, SWAT teams used battering rams, tear gas, and surveillance robots in attempts to breach the fortified Bixby home.
At around 10:00 p.m., Steven Bixby surrendered. An hour later, his father, Arthur, critically injured, also gave himself up. Inside the house, law enforcement found nine firearms, including Wilson’s service weapon, as well as suicide notes and legal documents reflecting the family’s deep-seated beliefs in anti-government ideologies.

The Fallout
The Bixby family’s actions were later tied to extremist views associated with the “sovereign citizens” movement, which disputes government authority and laws. Rita was sentenced to life in prison for her role in planning the ambush, while Arthur was deemed incompetent to stand trial due to dementia. Both parents died in 2011, with Rita passing in prison and Arthur in a mental institution.
Steven Bixby was convicted in 2007 and sentenced to death. His case remains controversial as his attorneys continue to argue that his mental competency should exempt him from execution. The standoff and its aftermath remain a chilling reminder of how property disputes and extremist ideologies can escalate into devastating violence.
This deadly standoff not only resulted in the tragic loss of two law enforcement officers but also underscored the dangers posed by extremist anti-government views, setting a precedent for how such cases are handled in South Carolina.
Competency and Execution in South Carolina
Under South Carolina law, inmates cannot be executed if they do not understand the reason for their sentence or cannot rationally communicate with their attorneys. This standard adds another layer of complexity to Bixby’s case, which already involves significant mental health concerns.
The Supreme Court has upheld the use of multiple execution methods, including lethal injection, electrocution, and firing squad, following legislative changes in 2024. However, these methods cannot be applied to inmates deemed mentally incompetent.

What’s Next?
The Supreme Court has yet to rule on the state’s motion for mental health disclosures or Bixby’s stay of execution. If granted, the affidavits could provide a clearer picture of Bixby’s mental state and potentially delay his execution further.
The case underscores ongoing debates about mental health and capital punishment, with critics arguing that executing mentally ill individuals undermines the integrity of the justice system. For now, Bixby remains on death row at the Broad River Correctional Institution as the legal battle continues. As with the execution of Richard Moore, follow the CC News Network for live coverage, if the state of South Carolina executes Steven Bixby.
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