COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina inmate Stephen Bryant, sentenced to death for a heinous murder, has chosen to die by firing squad. Scheduled for execution on November 14, Bryant becomes the third inmate to face this controversial method this year.
At 44, Bryant was convicted for killing Willard TJ Tietjen, inflicting severe torture that involved burning Tietjen's eyes with cigarettes after shooting him. Investigators recounted the horror of the crime, highlighting that Bryant even wrote taunts on the wall in Tietjen's blood.
Legal representatives of a previous death row inmate executed by firing squad have indicated there may be legal challenges ahead, questioning the method's efficiency and the agony suffered by the condemned. The execution method has raised eyebrows after claims that Mikal Mahdi, the last man executed by firing squad, did not die instantly as per protocol, allegedly experiencing prolonged suffering.
Bryant's admission to killing Tietjen also extends to two other murders during a violent spree in Sumter County in 2004, where he executed victims in cold blood while they were vulnerable.
As South Carolina grapples with executing inmates after a 13-year pause—largely due to a shortage of lethal injection drugs—the introduction of the firing squad has sparked contentious discussions regarding its humanity and legality. A total of 41 men have been executed across the U.S. so far this year, with South Carolina's ongoing executions marking a significant chapter in the ongoing debate over capital punishment.
