The execution method few expected: What’s about to happen to this inmate in South Carolina
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In a move that has reignited debates over the death penalty in the United States, South Carolina is poised to carry out its first execution by firing squad.
This method, which has not been used in the country for 15 years, is a stark departure from the more commonly used lethal injection or electrocution.
Supporters argue it is a swift and reliable alternative, while critics raise ethical concerns about its brutality and the broader implications of capital punishment.
The individual at the center of this historic event is Brad Sigmon, a 67-year-old man convicted of the brutal 2001 murders of his ex-girlfriend's parents.
Using a baseball bat, Sigmon killed the couple in their Greenville County home, then kidnapped his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint.
Although she managed to escape, Sigmon fired shots at her as she fled, which he missed. His chilling confession revealed, “I couldn't have her. I wasn't going to let anybody else have her.”
Sigmon's execution is set to take place at the Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia, where death row inmates are housed. This time, it won’t be a lethal injection or electrocution that will take his life.
On the day of the execution, Sigmon will be moved to a cell adjacent to the death chamber.
The process will begin just before 6 pm with the warden confirming with Governor Henry McMaster via phone if there are no legal impediments or clemency granted.
If both answers are no, Sigmon will be moved to the death chamber and the witness room curtain will be opened. He will have the opportunity to give a final statement before being secured to a metal chair positioned over a catch basin.
Facing witnesses with the right side of his face and body visible, he will then have a hood placed over his head. Following state protocols established in 2022, a medical professional will conduct a brief examination to position a target over his heart.
Three volunteers from the state Corrections Department, standing 15 feet away and unseen by witnesses, will aim their rifles and fire. All three will have live ammunition.
A doctor will emerge, walking past the state's stationary electric chair, to officially confirm Sigmon’s death. Afterward, witnesses will sign an official document verifying that they observed the execution before departing.
During lethal injection executions, a gurney is placed in the death chamber, with a curtain positioned behind it to conceal both the electric chair and the firing squad chair from view.
Little information has been disclosed about the individuals who will carry out the execution. Prison officials have only stated that they have "completed all required training."
Since 1985, South Carolina has carried out 46 executions using lethal injection and electrocution. Brad Sigmon's execution will mark the state's first use of a firing squad.
Nationwide, only three inmates—in Utah in 1977, 1996, and 2010—have been executed by firing squad since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. In 2022, South Carolina allocated approximately $54,000 to build a designated firing squad area within its death chamber. The setup is located near the electric chair.
The state has chosen .308-caliber Winchester 110-grain TAP Urban ammunition, designed to fragment upon impact, aiming to cause immediate and extensive damage to the heart, said Colie Rushton, director of Security and Emergency Operations at the Corrections Department.
A state medical expert testified in a 2022 trial that if the heart sustains severe damage, an inmate would likely lose consciousness almost instantly and feel little to no pain.
The doctor noted that gunshot survivors often describe an initial sensation similar to a punch, with pain setting in only seconds later.
Although, a medical expert testifying for the inmates argued that loss of consciousness could take longer and that the pain from cracked ribs—similar to what occurs during a gunshot to the chest—can make breathing agonizing.
If the executioners’ aim is not precise, death could be further prolonged, as a damaged heart may continue pumping blood. The state has not publicly addressed what would happen if an inmate survives the initial shots.
However, a trial testimony in 2022 suggested that the firing squad could be authorized to shoot again if necessary.
The decision to use a firing squad comes after difficulties in obtaining drugs for lethal injections, with suppliers unwilling to sell if their identities are made public.
A shield law was passed to protect these suppliers' anonymity, but the firing squad option remained. The South Carolina Supreme Court has ruled that the firing squad, along with the electric chair and lethal injection, does not violate the US Constitution's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.
Idaho is also set to resume firing squad executions, but only as a backup when lethal injection drugs are unavailable.
In South Carolina, electrocution remains the default execution method, though it has not been used since 2008. Sigmon declined lethal injection—the most commonly used method—due to concerns over the state's protocol.
Witnesses to the state's last three executions, all carried out using a large dose of pentobarbital, reported that while the condemned prisoners appeared to stop breathing and moving within minutes, they were not officially declared dead for at least 20 minutes.
This execution method has sparked a renewed ethical debate around capital punishment.
While some argue that the firing squad is a more reliable and swift method of execution, others see it as a barbaric and outdated practice.
The national conversation is also influenced by the fact that lethal injection drugs are increasingly difficult to procure, leading some states to consider alternative methods.
Witnesses, including reporters, family members of Sigmon's victims, and his lawyer, will observe the execution from behind bulletproof glass.
The aftermath of the execution will be documented, though it is unclear if an autopsy will be performed.
Source: WSPA 7News / Youtube.
Only one autopsy report has been publicly released—Richard Moore’s. Prison officials stated that he was given two large doses of pentobarbital, administered 11 minutes apart, on November 1.
Freddie Owens, the first inmate executed under the revised protocol, declined an autopsy for religious reasons.
Sigmon’s attorneys have raised concerns based on Moore’s autopsy, which revealed unusual amounts of fluid in his lungs. A medical expert suggested this could indicate he experienced sensations similar to drowning before death.
Also read: The firing squad's return: A shift in capital punishment practices
Do you agree or disagree with the death penalty? What do you think of the return of the firing squad? What do you think about the other methods used to carry out the ultimate sentence? We invite you to share your thoughts in the comments below, but please remain respectful.
This method, which has not been used in the country for 15 years, is a stark departure from the more commonly used lethal injection or electrocution.
Supporters argue it is a swift and reliable alternative, while critics raise ethical concerns about its brutality and the broader implications of capital punishment.
The individual at the center of this historic event is Brad Sigmon, a 67-year-old man convicted of the brutal 2001 murders of his ex-girlfriend's parents.
Using a baseball bat, Sigmon killed the couple in their Greenville County home, then kidnapped his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint.
Although she managed to escape, Sigmon fired shots at her as she fled, which he missed. His chilling confession revealed, “I couldn't have her. I wasn't going to let anybody else have her.”
Sigmon's execution is set to take place at the Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia, where death row inmates are housed. This time, it won’t be a lethal injection or electrocution that will take his life.
South Carolina is set to carry out its first firing squad execution, marking the United States' first such execution in 15 years. Image source: WSPA 7News / Youtube.
On the day of the execution, Sigmon will be moved to a cell adjacent to the death chamber.
The process will begin just before 6 pm with the warden confirming with Governor Henry McMaster via phone if there are no legal impediments or clemency granted.
If both answers are no, Sigmon will be moved to the death chamber and the witness room curtain will be opened. He will have the opportunity to give a final statement before being secured to a metal chair positioned over a catch basin.
Facing witnesses with the right side of his face and body visible, he will then have a hood placed over his head. Following state protocols established in 2022, a medical professional will conduct a brief examination to position a target over his heart.
Three volunteers from the state Corrections Department, standing 15 feet away and unseen by witnesses, will aim their rifles and fire. All three will have live ammunition.
A doctor will emerge, walking past the state's stationary electric chair, to officially confirm Sigmon’s death. Afterward, witnesses will sign an official document verifying that they observed the execution before departing.
During lethal injection executions, a gurney is placed in the death chamber, with a curtain positioned behind it to conceal both the electric chair and the firing squad chair from view.
Little information has been disclosed about the individuals who will carry out the execution. Prison officials have only stated that they have "completed all required training."
Since 1985, South Carolina has carried out 46 executions using lethal injection and electrocution. Brad Sigmon's execution will mark the state's first use of a firing squad.
Brad Sigmon, convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend's parents, will face execution by a team of volunteer shooters using special bullets designed to break apart upon impact. Image source: WSPA 7News / Youtube.
Nationwide, only three inmates—in Utah in 1977, 1996, and 2010—have been executed by firing squad since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. In 2022, South Carolina allocated approximately $54,000 to build a designated firing squad area within its death chamber. The setup is located near the electric chair.
The state has chosen .308-caliber Winchester 110-grain TAP Urban ammunition, designed to fragment upon impact, aiming to cause immediate and extensive damage to the heart, said Colie Rushton, director of Security and Emergency Operations at the Corrections Department.
A state medical expert testified in a 2022 trial that if the heart sustains severe damage, an inmate would likely lose consciousness almost instantly and feel little to no pain.
The doctor noted that gunshot survivors often describe an initial sensation similar to a punch, with pain setting in only seconds later.
Although, a medical expert testifying for the inmates argued that loss of consciousness could take longer and that the pain from cracked ribs—similar to what occurs during a gunshot to the chest—can make breathing agonizing.
If the executioners’ aim is not precise, death could be further prolonged, as a damaged heart may continue pumping blood. The state has not publicly addressed what would happen if an inmate survives the initial shots.
However, a trial testimony in 2022 suggested that the firing squad could be authorized to shoot again if necessary.
The decision to use a firing squad comes after difficulties in obtaining drugs for lethal injections, with suppliers unwilling to sell if their identities are made public.
The execution will involve a target placed over Sigmon’s heart, with the procedure set up to ensure quick loss of consciousness and death. Image source: WSPA 7News / Youtube.
A shield law was passed to protect these suppliers' anonymity, but the firing squad option remained. The South Carolina Supreme Court has ruled that the firing squad, along with the electric chair and lethal injection, does not violate the US Constitution's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.
Idaho is also set to resume firing squad executions, but only as a backup when lethal injection drugs are unavailable.
In South Carolina, electrocution remains the default execution method, though it has not been used since 2008. Sigmon declined lethal injection—the most commonly used method—due to concerns over the state's protocol.
Witnesses to the state's last three executions, all carried out using a large dose of pentobarbital, reported that while the condemned prisoners appeared to stop breathing and moving within minutes, they were not officially declared dead for at least 20 minutes.
This execution method has sparked a renewed ethical debate around capital punishment.
While some argue that the firing squad is a more reliable and swift method of execution, others see it as a barbaric and outdated practice.
The national conversation is also influenced by the fact that lethal injection drugs are increasingly difficult to procure, leading some states to consider alternative methods.
Witnesses, including reporters, family members of Sigmon's victims, and his lawyer, will observe the execution from behind bulletproof glass.
The aftermath of the execution will be documented, though it is unclear if an autopsy will be performed.
Source: WSPA 7News / Youtube.
Only one autopsy report has been publicly released—Richard Moore’s. Prison officials stated that he was given two large doses of pentobarbital, administered 11 minutes apart, on November 1.
Freddie Owens, the first inmate executed under the revised protocol, declined an autopsy for religious reasons.
Sigmon’s attorneys have raised concerns based on Moore’s autopsy, which revealed unusual amounts of fluid in his lungs. A medical expert suggested this could indicate he experienced sensations similar to drowning before death.
Also read: The firing squad's return: A shift in capital punishment practices
Do you agree or disagree with the death penalty? What do you think of the return of the firing squad? What do you think about the other methods used to carry out the ultimate sentence? We invite you to share your thoughts in the comments below, but please remain respectful.
