Second South Carolina inmate, Mikal Mahdi, chooses execution by firing squad

A second South Carolina death row inmate has made the decision to opt for execution by firing squad. Mikal Mahdi, aged 41, is scheduled to be put to death on April 11 for the murder of a police officer in 2004. Mahdi pleaded guilty to the crime, which involved shooting and killing the officer in a horrific incident.

In a statement released by one of his lawyers, David Weiss, it was revealed that Mahdi chose the firing squad as his method of execution as he believed it to be the lesser of three evils. The other options presented to him were the electric chair, which involves burning and mutilation, or lethal injection, which can result in a lingering death.

This decision comes shortly after another inmate, Brad Sigmon, was executed by firing squad in South Carolina on March 7. Sigmon became the first prisoner in the U.S. to be executed by this method in 15 years. A doctor declared Sigmon dead within three minutes of the execution, which involved three bullets being fired at him.

Only three other inmates in the U.S. have been executed by firing squad since 1976, all of which took place in Utah. Mahdi’s criminal history includes stealing a gun and a car in Virginia in 2004 before committing the murder that led to his death row sentence.

On July 18, 2004, Mahdi ambushed and fatally shot a North Carolina store clerk before carjacking someone in Columbia, South Carolina. He then hid in an officer’s shed and killed the officer, James Myers, upon his return from a celebration. Mahdi shot Myers multiple times, set his body on fire, and fled the scene.

Mahdi was later apprehended in Florida on July 21, 2004, putting an end to his crime spree. The brutal nature of his crimes and the impact they had on the victims’ families have led to his sentencing on death row.

The execution of Mahdi by firing squad is set to take place at 6 p.m. at a prison in Columbia, South Carolina, marking the state’s fifth execution in under seven months. This decision has sparked a debate on the ethical implications of the death penalty and the various methods of execution available in different states.

In conclusion, the case of Mikal Mahdi highlights the complexities of the criminal justice system and the difficult decisions that individuals on death row must make. The use of firing squads as a method of execution raises questions about the humanity of such practices and the impact they have on society as a whole.