A convicted triple murderer met his end by a firing squad during an execution on death row last night. Stephen Bryant, 44, chose the unconventional method over more common practices like lethal injection or the electric chair. This marked only the third firing squad execution in South Carolina this year, with three prison employees using live ammunition volunteering for the task.
Bryant had spent 21 years on death row for killing three men in a span of five days, including a father who sought help when his car broke down near Bryant’s residence. During the execution at the South Carolina jail, three family members of the victims served as witnesses and stood in solidarity.
The condemned man, who remained silent before his death, passed away within minutes of the firing squad’s actions. Bryant became the seventh person executed by South Carolina in 14 months after a long pause in executions due to a lack of lethal injection drugs.
Meanwhile, Florida has taken the lead this year with its 16th execution, breaking records for the number of executions in less than a year. Bryan Frederick Jennings was given a lethal injection for a heinous crime committed four decades ago.
For his final meal, Bryant requested a spicy mixed seafood stir-fry, fried fish over rice, egg rolls, stuffed prawns, two desserts, and a slice of German chocolate cake. Bo King, a South Carolina attorney specializing in death penalty cases, highlighted Bryant’s troubled past, citing genetic disorders, abuse, and the damaging effects of his mother’s alcoholism.
King emphasized Bryant’s forgiveness towards his family and his compassion for others both inside and outside of prison. Bryant admitted to the murder of Willard “TJ” Tietjen and two others, with gruesome details emerging about the killings that shocked the community and law enforcement.
Authorities revealed Bryant’s modus operandi of offering rides to his victims before shooting them, leading to a widespread warning to residents in the area to be cautious of strangers seeking assistance.
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