“Reviving the Unthinkable: Inside the Gruesome Execution Method Making a Shocking Comeback After 15 Years”

In a twist that feels almost plucked from the pages of a dark novel, an inmate on death row is asking for an execution method not seen in the U.S. for a staggering 15 years. Brad Sigmon, convicted of a heinous crime back in 2001, has requested to meet his end by firing squad—a choice that has sparked intrigue and ethical debate. As we delve deeper into this unusual request, one can’t help but ponder: Is opting for a historical execution method an act of defiance, a bid for a quicker demise, or simply a reflection of the horror associated with modern methods? Scheduled for execution on March 7, Sigmon’s case raises unsettling questions about justice, morality, and the evolving landscape of capital punishment. With his lawyer expressing deep concerns over the alternatives, including lethal injection and the electric chair, the latter of which sounds like something out of a horror film, we are drawn into a chilling conversation about the choices and realities faced by those on the brink of death. If you’re as curious as I am to uncover the details as this storyline unfolds, click here to LEARN MORE.

An inmate on death row has requested to die by an execution method that hasn’t been used in the US in 15 years.

Brad Sigmon, who is scheduled to be executed on 7 March, has been convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend’s parents in 2001.

The 67-year-old murdered William and Gladys Larke with a baseball bat in their Greenville County home after abducting his former girlfriend, Rebecca Barbare, at gunpoint.

His lawyer Gerald ‘Bo’ King said on Friday (21 February) that he has wants to die by firing squad, with the default execution method being electrocution.

Ronnie Lee Gardner was the last person who was put to death via the firing squad method in Utah in 2010.

How execution by firing squad works

Sigmon has opted to face the firing squad over lethal injection or the electric chair (South Carolina Department of Corrections)

The inmate is seated in a chair with a hood placed over their head.

Once the execution order is read out, the criminal will then make their last ever statement before the process takes place.

Death by firing squad sees three volunteer officers from the Department of Corrections open fire at their chest.

In 2022, the South Carolina Department of Corrections said they had refurbished the execution chamber at Broad River ‘to include the capacity to perform an execution by firing squad’.

“The chamber now includes a chair in which inmates will sit if they choose execution by firing squad,” it said. “The chair is in a corner of the room away from the current electric chair, which cannot be moved.”

The inmate wants to die by firing squad (South Carolina Department of Corrections)

With the addition of bullet-resistant glass being installed between the witness room and the death chamber, the firing squad chair happens to be ‘metal with restraints’ and is ‘surrounded by protective equipment.’

“The chair faces a wall with a rectangular opening 15 feet away,” it said.

“A small aim point will be placed over his heart by a member of the execution team.

“After the shots, a doctor will examine the inmate. After the inmate is declared dead, the curtain will be drawn and witnesses escorted out.”

Why Brad Sigmon had chosen death by firing squad

Sigmon’s lawyer said he was against the lethal injection method because of previous cases in which condemned prisoners remained alive for up to 20 minutes, according to CNN.

“The choice Brad faced today was impossible,” King said.

“Unless he elected lethal injection or the firing squad, he would die in South Carolina’s ancient electric chair, which would burn and cook him alive. But the alternative is just as monstrous.”