Death row inmate directly chooses 'firing squad'... Execution to be carried out in the US after 15 years?

An American death row inmate has drawn attention by personally choosing 'firing squad' as his method of execution.

According to the New York Times (NYT) and others on the 24th (local time), Brad Sigmon (67), a death row inmate in South Carolina, USA, recently selected 'firing squad' as his method of execution ahead of his scheduled execution on March 7.

Death row inmate Brad Sigman. Photo by AP Yonhap News

The firing squad has long been criticized as the most violent method of execution and has only been permitted in some U.S. states. Currently, the states that legally allow the firing squad are South Carolina, Utah, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Idaho, totaling five states.

However, actual executions by firing squad have been rare. Since 1976, Utah was the only state to carry out executions by firing squad in the U.S., with only three inmates executed this way. Even that stopped after 2010.

If the firing squad is carried out this time, it will be the first in 15 years in the U.S. and the first case in South Carolina's history. South Carolina legalized the firing squad in 2021, but no death row inmate had chosen it until now.

Previously, the prison offered Sigmon three options ahead of his execution: electric chair, lethal injection, or firing squad. While lethal injection is the most commonly used, Sigmon reportedly chose the firing squad out of concern that the injection might not work properly.

Sigmon's attorney, Gerald Bo King, referenced past cases in South Carolina where inmates suffered over 20 minutes of pain due to ineffective lethal injections, stating, "The electric chair is too cruel, and lethal injection is unreliable," explaining that Sigmon rejected those methods. He added, "The only option left for him was the firing squad."

Bo King also criticized the correctional authorities for forcing death row inmates to choose their method of death, saying, "This is not justice." He said, "They are forcing inmates to choose among extremely horrific methods," and "Sigmon was put in a position to decide for himself which method would be the least painful."

Brad Sigmon was sentenced to death in 2001 for breaking into his ex-girlfriend's house in Taylors, South Carolina, and killing her parents. At the time, Sigmon threatened his ex-girlfriend with a firearm and attempted to kidnap her, but she escaped from the vehicle, leaving the attempt unsuccessful. Investigations revealed that Sigmon also fired a gun at his fleeing ex-girlfriend. During the investigation, he reportedly said something to the effect of, "If I can't have her, then no one else can."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.