Death row killer’s final meal revealed after opting for rare execution method
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A death row killer responsible for a string of murders in 2004 has been put to death by firing squad after losing his final appeal. Stephen Bryant, 44, was shot shortly after 6pm on Friday at Broad River in Columbia. His execution came more than 20 years after three killings that left residents of South Carolina’s Sumter County horrified. Officials confirmed he made no final statement as he faced the three volunteers who fired the fatal shots, Associated Press reports. The rare method was chosen by Bryant himself when given the choice, with the other options being lethal injection or the electric chair. Details of his final requested meal were also released by authorities. (Picture: AP)
Bryant went on an eight day murder rampage that left three men dead and a fourth seriously hurt. Among the attacks was the ambush of 62-year-old Willard ‘TJ’ Tietjen in his own home. Bryant claimed he needed help with car trouble then shot him a matter of moments later. Once inside he ransacked the man’s house, smoked cigarettes, used the victim’s computer and daubed a sinister message in blood reading ‘victem 4 in 2 weeks. catch me if u can’ [sic]. (Picture: Sumter County Sheriff’s Office )
He even answered a call from Tietjen’s terrified wife and daughter while still inside the property. Bryant identified himself as ‘the prowler’ and told them bluntly that Tietjen was dead. Investigators later described the scene as one of the most disturbing they had encountered in the county. The horror intensified when officers discovered the blood written taunt left to mock them. Sheriff Tommy Sims later recalled the moment, saying ‘”Catch me if you can”…? I’m happy to say that law enforcement has responded to that challenge and we have caught him.’ (Picture: AP)
Bryant also targeted another three men he encountered on rural roads during his week-long rampage. He picked up Cliff Gainey and Christopher Burgess before shooting both dead. Both died where they fell. A third man, Clinton Brown, survived a similar attack. These roadside shootings created fear across the region as officers struggled to predict where Bryant would strike next. He was only 23 at the time. Detectives arrested him at his girlfriend’s home after identifying him as the triggerman. (Picture: Sumter County Department of Corrections)
He pleaded guilty to the killings back in 2008 and received a death sentence specifically for the murder of Tietjen. Bryant’s lawyers have since argued he should’ve been spared execution because of his traumatic upbringing. They said his mother drank heavily and used drugs while pregnant with him, which they claimed left him with lifelong brain damage. They also said Bryant had been sexually abused by four male relatives as a child and had been overwhelmed by the trauma in the months leading up to the murders. (Picture: TNS/Getty Images)
His family insisted he was spiralling and desperate for help before the killings. His aunt told the court: ‘He was very upset. He looked like he was being tortured. It’s like his soul was just laid wide open. In his eyes you could see he was hurting and suffering and he was living the abuse over again as it was coming out.’ Bryant was said to have begged officials and relatives for support but had instead turned to drugs including meth and joints sprayed with bug killer. (Picture: TNS/Getty Images)
Days before he was due to die at the hands of the state, Bryant submitted a final petition to the South Carolina Supreme Court. His legal team argued he should be tested for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. The court rejected the plea, ruling that even if he did suffer from the condition, it wouldn’t alter his sentence. That decision sealed his fate as preparations for the firing squad went ahead inside the death chamber. Officials confirmed Bryant had been given the choice of execution method. (Picture: Getty Images)
For his last meal Bryant was given a sizeable spread that officials said he chose a few days before his firing squad execution. The night prior he ordered a spicy mixed seafood stir fry, alongside fried fish served over rice with crispy egg rolls on the side, as well as some stuffed shrimp. He rounded it all off with two candy bars and a large slice of German chocolate cake. (stock image) (Picture: Getty Images)
On the night of the execution Bryant was strapped into a metal chair before a doctor placed a target over his heart. He made no final statement and briefly glanced toward the 10 witnesses before the hood was placed on his head, AP said. Three family members of victims who attended as witnesses held hands during the execution. The shooters stood around 15 feet away and fired three rifles simultaneously. He became the third inmate this year to die by firing squad in the state of South Carolina and the seventh since the state restarted executions last September. Earlier controversy over the method flared again due to claims another inmate had suffered when the shots failed to hit the target correctly. Bryant, however, was reported to have taken a few shallow breaths and then a final spasm a little over a minute later, before a doctor pronounced him dead. (Picture: REUTERS)
South Carolina had a 13-year pause in executions when the state, along with others, struggled to obtain supplies of lethal injection drugs. Following numerous botched executions using a lethal injection, death by firing squad was revived, with some lawmakers arguing that it is the quickest and most humane method. However, lawyers for Mikal Mahdi (pictured), who was also executed at Broad River in April this year, argue that he was left to die in agonising pain for three or four times longer than expected when bullets hit the bottom of the heart, rather than directly. (Picture: AFP) Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
