67-Year-Old Who is Death Row Inmate Chooses How He Wants to Die, His Choice Released
- Brad Sigmon, a convicted double murderer, was executed by firing squad in South Carolina, marking the first use of the method in the US for 15 years
- Sigmon chose the firing squad over the electric chair and lethal injection, fearing a slower death from the alternatives
- His execution has sparked legal debates and protests, with opponents calling for an end to the death penalty
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South Carolina, USA – A convicted double murderer, Brad Sigmon, 67, was executed by firing squad in the first use of the method in the US for 15 years.
Sigmon chose to be killed by bullets, fearing that the alternatives of the electric chair and lethal injection would risk a slower and more painful death.
Source: Getty Images
He was convicted of beating his ex-girlfriend's parents, William and Gladys Larke, to death with a baseball bat at their home in Taylors, South Carolina, in 2001.
Execution details and final statement
Sigmon was sentenced to death in 2002 after telling police he planned to take his ex-girlfriend on a romantic weekend before killing himself and her.
On March 7, he was shot by three volunteer prison employees armed with rifles loaded with live ammunition and was pronounced dead at 6.08pm (11.08pm in the UK).
Sigmon wore a black jumpsuit with a hood over his head during the execution and had a white target with a red bullseye over his chest.
In his closing statement, he called for an end to the death penalty, describing it as "one of love and a calling to my fellow Christians."
Legal battle and protests
On March 5, Sigmon asked the US Supreme Court to stop his execution, arguing that South Carolina's refusal to share information about its lethal injection protocol violated his rights.
His lawyer, Bo King, stated that Sigmon was left with "an impossible choice" between the firing squad and a potentially prolonged lethal injection.
Ahead of the execution, protesters gathered outside the South Carolina Department of Corrections with signs reading "all life is precious" and "execute justice not people."
Historical context and previous executions
There have only been three executions by firing squad in the US since 1977, all in Utah.
The most recent was Ronnie Lee Gardner in 2010, who was given the death penalty for killing a man during an attempted escape from a courthouse in 1985.
South Carolina is one of only five states that still offers the firing squad method, which was more common during the 19th century Civil War era.
Source: Getty Images
Longest-serving death row inmate acquitted
Legit.ng earlier reported that in a landmark decision, an 88-year-old man, Iwao Hakamada, who holds the grim title of the world’s longest-serving death row inmate, has been acquitted by a Japanese court.
The court found that the evidence used against him was fabricated, leading to his wrongful conviction.
Hakamada, who has spent over half a century on death row, was originally found guilty in 1968 of the brutal murder of his boss, the man’s wife, and their two teenage children.
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Source: Legit.ng
