South Carolina murderer faces firing squad execution as clemency decision looms
Man who killed three people set to be executed by firing squad in South Carolina
- Stephen Bryant, a 44-year-old convicted killer, is scheduled to face a firing squad in South Carolina on Friday.
- He was condemned for killing three people over five days in a rural area in 2004, including shooting one victim multiple times and painting taunting messages with his blood.
- This marks South Carolina's third execution by firing squad since September last year, a method revived due to difficulties in obtaining lethal injection drugs and previous botched executions.
- Bryant's final hope rests on a clemency decision from the governor, although no South Carolina governor has granted clemency since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
- The execution procedure involves three volunteer prison employees firing high-powered rifles, with lawyers for a previous firing squad execution raising concerns about the precision and pain involved.