• Victor Amos
• Global News , News
• March 10, 2025
• 943 views
• 3 minutes Read

“Lawyer Decries ‘Abject Cruelty’ Following Execution of American Prisoner via Firing Squad”

Brad Sigmon, a 67-year-old death row inmate, was executed by firing squad in South Carolina on Friday, marking the first use of this method in the United States since 2010. Sigmon, convicted in 2001 for the brutal murders of his ex-girlfriend’s parents, David and Gladys Larke, and the subsequent armed kidnapping of their daughter, opted for the firing squad in February amid growing concerns over the state’s lethal injection protocols. Under South Carolina law, death row inmates must select their execution method, choosing between lethal injection, electrocution, or firing squad. Sigmon’s decision followed revelations from recent autopsies of inmates executed by lethal injection, which indicated irregularities. His legal team highlighted the case of Mario Bowman, executed on January 31, who received double the standard dose of pentobarbital and suffered pulmonary edema ,a condition involving fluid buildup in the lungs. Similarly, Richard Moore, executed in November 2024, was administered the same high dose in two separate injections. Sigmon’s attorneys argued that the state withheld critical information about the drugs’ potency and expiration, forcing him into an “impossible choice” between a potentially agonizing lethal injection or the firing squad. Despite appeals to delay the execution pending transparency about the injection process, the South Carolina Supreme Court denied his petition on Wednesday. “Brad Sigmon repeatedly sought basic facts to determine whether the state’s drugs were expired or compromised. He chose the firing squad to avoid the prolonged suffering he believes his peers endured,” stated his attorney, Gerald “Bo” King. “Mr. Bowman’s autopsy confirms these fears were justified. This is not justice ,it’s state-sanctioned barbarity.” Firing squad executions involve securing the inmate to a chair with a target over the heart and a hood covering the head. Three volunteers, concealed behind a wall, fire precision rounds simultaneously. South Carolina joins Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Utah in permitting the method, though only Utah has used it since 1977, most recently in 2010 for Ronnie Lee Gardner. Sigmon’s case reignites debates over execution ethics, transparency, and the constitutional prohibition of “cruel and unusual punishment.” His final words, via his lawyer, condemned the system: “We should not just be horrified we should be furious.” This execution underscores ongoing tensions between evolving legal standards, human rights concerns, and the mechanics of capital punishment in America. Join the Metascholar News Channel – Curated Stories, Just for You!🚀 Discover meaningful, handpicked content tailored to your interests.✨ Click below to join now:👉 https://t.me/metascholarworksworksltd