South Carolina convict to be executed by firing squad, first in 15 years
A South Carolina death row inmate who brutally killed his ex-girlfriend’s parents with a baseball bat in 2001 is set to be executed by firing squad on Friday – marking the first execution of its kind in the U.S. in 15 years.
Brad Sigmon, 67, confessed to the killings after his ex-girlfriend refused to reconcile with him. He is scheduled to be strapped to a chair at approximately 6 p.m., with three volunteers armed with rifles positioned about 15 feet away to fire bullets into his heart. Each volunteer will be armed with .308-caliber Winchester 110-grain TAP Urban ammunition, commonly used by police marksmen. The bullet is designed to shatter upon impact with a hard surface, like an inmate’s chest bones, releasing fragments meant to destroy the heart and cause almost immediate death.
Governor Henry McMaster and Attorney General Alan Wilson must approve the execution for it to proceed. Sigmon’s lawyers have petitioned McMaster to commute his death sentence to life in prison, citing his exemplary behavior as a model prisoner and his daily efforts to atone for the heinous crimes he committed while suffering from severe mental illness. However, no South Carolina governor has granted clemency since the resumption of the death penalty 49 years ago.
Sigmon chose the firing squad method over the electric chair, which he believed would cause excruciating pain, or lethal injection, the details of which are kept confidential in South Carolina. His lawyers stated that the state’s lack of transparency regarding lethal injection procedures prompted him to opt for the firing squad, acknowledging that it will result in a violent death. On Thursday, Sigmon’s legal team requested the Supreme Court to postpone the execution due to insufficient information provided by the state about the lethal injection drug.
Sigmon confessed to carrying out the brutal murders out of anger towards the victims who had been evicted from a trailer they owned. He attacked them separately in their Greenville County home until they were deceased, then attempted to shoot his ex-girlfriend as she fled, narrowly missing her.
Five states, including Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah, permit the use of firing squads in certain circumstances. Only three inmates have faced a firing squad in the U.S. since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, with the most recent execution taking place in Utah in 2010.
Executions in South Carolina resumed in September following a 13-year hiatus due to difficulties in obtaining lethal injection drugs after their expiration. The state legislature passed a shield law allowing officials to withhold information about lethal injection drug suppliers.
With 25 executions carried out in the U.S. last year and five already completed in 2025, the debate over capital punishment continues to be a contentious issue. Sigmon’s impending execution serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of violent crime and the weight of justice that must be upheld in society.
