A man from South Carolina was executed by firing squad on March 7, making him the first person in the United States to face this method of execution in 15 years. Brad Sigmon, aged 67, was pronounced dead at Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia at 6:08 p.m. local time, following a death sentence he received in 2002 for committing burglary and the brutal murders of David and Gladys Larke, parents of his former girlfriend.
Sigmon had killed the Larkes in their home with a baseball bat and later confessed to authorities that he had also intended to kill their daughter. His violent past led to his severe punishment.
Before his execution, Sigmon shared a heartfelt final statement. His attorney read it in front of witnesses, which included relatives of his victims and his spiritual advisor. In this statement, Sigmon expressed a desire for love and urged fellow Christians to help abolish the death penalty. He referenced Biblical scriptures, stating that the justification for his death sentence was rooted in the Old Testament, which he believed was no longer relevant.
The day before his death, Sigmon requested a temporary halt to his execution, citing concerns over the secrecy of the lethal injection method being used. However, the South Carolina Supreme Court did not grant his request. He chose to die by firing squad instead of other state-approved methods, such as lethal injection or the electric chair, fearing the agony associated with those methods.
On the day of his execution, Sigmon had a final meal that included fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes with gravy, biscuits, cheesecake, and sweet tea. Protests took place outside the prison, with demonstrators calling for an end to the death penalty.
Since 1977, only three other individuals have been executed by firing squad in the U.S., the most recent being in 2010. Utah is the only state where this method has been used, and another inmate there is facing execution but is challenging it based on claims of dementia.
