A South Carolina death row inmate, Stephen Bryant, has chosen to be executed by a firing squad. This decision comes over two decades after being convicted of a grisly murder involving the death of a man and the chilling act of writing a taunting message in the victim’s blood.
According to the Associated Press, Bryant, who is 44 years old, is scheduled for execution on November 14. He becomes the third individual this year to opt for South Carolina’s recently reinstated method of execution by firing squad.
Given a choice, Bryant had until the deadline to decide his method of execution, with options including lethal injection, firing squad, or the electric chair.
Executions resumed in South Carolina in 2024 following a 13-year hiatus, primarily due to difficulties in procuring drugs for lethal injection. Since the resumption, the state has seen four inmates select lethal injection and two choose the firing squad.
During his trial, Bryant confessed to the horrific killing of Willard “TJ” Tietjen, whom he shot, tortured by burning with cigarettes, and ultimately left a chilling message on the wall, “catch me if u can,” using Tietjen’s blood.
Bryant admitted to fatally shooting Willard “TJ” Tietjen in his home, burning his eyes with cigarettes and painting “catch me if u can” on the wall with Tietjen’s blood.
Candles were lit around Tietjen’s body and the corner of a potholder was dipped in Tietjen’s blood and used to write “victem 4 in 2 weeks. catch me if u can” on a wall, according to officials.
Tietjen’s daughter called him six times, telling investigators on the final call, a strange voice answered and told her they killed Tietjen.
The state’s death chamber in Columbia, S.C. with the electric chair, right, and a firing squad chair, left. (South Carolina Department of Corrections via AP)
Prosecutors alleged Bryant also shot and killed two other men in October 2004, one prior to Tietjen’s death and one after.
Bryant was accused of giving the men rides and shooting them in the back as they were relieving themselves on the side of rural roads.
Bryant’s lawyers said he was distressed before the killings, repeatedly asking for help as he struggled with trauma from being sexually abused by four male relatives as a child, according to the report. He allegedly tried to cope through drug use, including meth and bug-spray-laced joints.
Death row inmates who choose death by firing squad are shot from 15 feet away. (AP)
Bryant will be shot by three volunteers, 15 feet away.
A legal battle is likely following the execution, as attorneys for the most recent man who died by firing squad claimed the executioners nearly missed his heart, causing prolonged suffering.
Witnesses reported several groans from the death row inmate, with it taking more than a minute for him to die, according to the outlet. Prison officials said executioners only have to hit the heart, and do not have to destroy it.
Since 1977, only three U.S. prisoners—all in Utah—have been executed by firing squad. This year, 41 men have been executed nationwide, with at least 18 more scheduled, according to the report.
