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Brad Sigmon, convicted of brutally murdering his ex-girlfriend's parents in 2001, is set to face South Carolina's first firing squad execution in 15 years using specialized fragmenting ammunition.
This image provided by the South Carolina Department of Corrections shows Brad Sigmon
UPDATED: Mar 4, 2025 23:28 IST
When 67-year-old Brad Sigmon enters the death chamber on Friday night, he won’t face lethal injection or electrocution. Instead, three riflemen will carry out his sentence. This will be the first firing squad execution in the United States in 15 years.
Since 1985, South Carolina has executed 46 inmates via lethal injection and electrocution. However, Sigmon’s execution marks the state’s first by firing squad. The only previous U.S. firing squad executions since 1976 occurred in Utah in 1977, 1996, and 2010.
The crime
Sigmon was convicted of brutally killing his ex-girlfriend’s parents in 2001 using a baseball bat in their Greenville County home. Prosecutors say he moved between separate rooms, beating them to death. He later kidnapped his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint, but she managed to escape. As she ran, he fired at her but missed. Sigmon later confessed, saying, "I couldn’t have her. I wasn’t going to let anybody else have her."
How the execution will unfold
Sigmon is currently housed in a facility adjacent to the death chamber at the Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia. On the day of execution, he would be moved to a cell closer to the chamber.
At approximately 6 p.m., the warden will confirm with Governor Henry McMaster and the Attorney General’s Office whether any clemency or legal blocks exist. If none are granted, Sigmon will be led into the death chamber, where the witness room curtain will open.
After being strapped to a metal chair positioned over a catch basin, Sigmon’s right side will face the witnesses. A hood will be placed over his head, and a medical professional will mark a target over his heart.
Three state Corrections Department volunteers, stationed 15 feet (4.6 meters) away, will fire their rifles from an unseen opening in the chamber’s wall. A doctor will then confirm his death. Witnesses will sign an official document before leaving.
The firing squad and ammunition
Not much is known about the people who will fire the rifles. Prison officials said they have completed all the required training. Due to a 2023 shield law, details about the firing squad remain confidential, including the identities of executioners and their training procedures.
A few details came out in court in 2022 during an unrelated trial that ultimately led the state Supreme Court to rule the firing squad, electric chair and lethal injection were all legal and didn’t violate the U.S. Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
The state will use .308-caliber Winchester 110-grain TAP Urban ammunition, commonly found in police rifles. These bullets are designed to fragment upon impact, spreading within the body to destroy the heart.
Published By:
indiatodayglobal
Published On:
Mar 4, 2025
