Lawyers for a South Carolina man on death row are arguing that he should not be executed, citing his belief in being a sovereign citizen as evidence of his incompetence to face execution.

Steven Bixby, alongside his father Arthur Bixby, engaged in a 12-hour shootout with law enforcement officers in Abbeville, South Carolina, on December 8, 2003, leading to the death of two officers.

The confrontation, which involved a massive exchange of gunfire, was triggered by an attempt from the South Carolina Department of Transportation to expand a highway through an easement on the Bixby property, which the Bixbys contested as invalid or irrelevant.

The family, including Bixby’s mother Rita, was well known for their sovereign citizen beliefs. 

In 2003, the state was beginning the widening process and land surveyors were making markings on the property to begin the job, causing tension between state authorities and the Bixbys. 

On the morning of Dec. 8, 2003, a surveyor called the police on Steven and Arthur Bixby for threatening him.

Abbeville County sheriff’s Sgt. Danny Wilson responded to the call and was immediately shot by Bixby. He was dragged inside the Bixby home, shackled with his own handcuffs, and died sometime during the 14-hour standoff that ensued. 

State constable Donnie Ouzts responded after communications from Wilson ceased. He, too, was immediately shot and killed by Bixby on the front lawn of the property. 

After a 14-hour gunfight with SWAT teams and law enforcement from around the state, Steven and Arthur Bixby were finally arrested.