South Carolina Convict Inches Closer to First US Death by Firing Squad in 15 Years

A South Carolina death row inmate, Brad Sigmon, is set to face a firing squad on Friday, marking the first execution of its kind in the United States in 15 years. Sigmon, 67, was convicted of brutally murdering his ex-girlfriend's parents with a baseball bat in 2001 after she refused to reconcile with him. The execution will take place at approximately 6 p.m., where Sigmon will be blindfolded and strapped to a chair, while three riflemen aim for his heart from a distance of 15 feet.

The firing squad will use .308-caliber Winchester 110-grain TAP Urban ammunition, which is designed to shatter upon impact, causing devastating damage to the heart and ensuring death is nearly instantaneous.

Sigmon opted for the firing squad over other execution methods, including the electric chair, which he described as "cooking him alive," and lethal injection, whose specifics remain undisclosed in South Carolina. His decision was influenced by the state's secrecy surrounding lethal injection drugs, which his lawyers have argued violates transparency standards.

Despite appeals from Sigmon's legal team to commute his sentence to life in prison, citing his efforts to atone for his crimes and his mental health struggles, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has not granted clemency. No governor in the state has done so since the death penalty was reinstated 49 years ago.

The crime itself was chilling. Sigmon admitted to killing Gladys and David Larke in their home, attacking them in separate rooms until they succumbed to their injuries. He then kidnapped his ex-girlfriend, Rebecca Armstrong, but she managed to escape by jumping from his moving vehicle, even as he fired shots at her.

Armstrong has described the killings as a devastating loss to her family, stating that her parents were the "glue" of their large family, which included five children, eight grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. While Armstrong opposes the death penalty and will not attend the execution, her son, Ricky Sims, plans to be there, wearing boots gifted by his late grandparents as a tribute.

Five states in the U.S.—Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah—allow firing squads under specific circumstances. Since the revival of the death penalty in 1976, only three inmates have been executed by firing squad, all in Utah, with the most recent being Ronnie Gardner in 2010.

South Carolina resumed executions in September after a 13-year hiatus, partly due to difficulties obtaining lethal injection drugs. The state legislature has since passed a shield law to protect the identities of drug suppliers, allowing executions to resume.

Last year saw 25 executions nationwide, with five already carried out in 2025, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.