Death Row Killer's Chilling Final Words

Brad Sigmon, a 67-year-old South Carolina man, made history as the first person in the United States to be executed by firing squad in 15 years. His crime? A brutal double murder in 2001 that shocked Greenville County.

A Deadly Crime and a Twisted Plan

Sigmon bludgeoned David and Gladys Larke - his ex-girlfriend’s parents - with a baseball bat in their home. But his plan didn’t end there. According to police, Sigmon intended to kidnap his ex and kill both her and himself. Fortunately, that part of his twisted scheme never happened, and he was convicted of burglary and two counts of murder in 2002. After more than two decades on death row, his execution date was finally set for March 7, 2025.

His Unconventional Choice: Why the Firing Squad?

South Carolina offers three execution methods: the electric chair, lethal injection, or the rarely used firing squad. Sigmon’s choice? The firing squad.

Why? According to his lawyers, he feared the election chair would “cook him alive,” according to the Associated Press, and he “feared a lethal injection of pentobarbital into his veins would send a rush of fluid and blood into his lungs and drown him. The secrecy surrounding South Carolina’s lethal injection process also fueled his decision to opt for what some might call an old-school execution method.

When the moment came, three volunteer prison employees stood 15 feet away, aimed at a target on his chest, and fired. Witnesses described a loud, jarring bang, and Sigmon’s body briefly tensed before he took his final breaths. A doctor pronounced him dead at 6:08 p.m.

A Final Plea and a Plate of Comfort Food

Before his execution, Sigmon made one last impassioned plea - not for his life, but for an end to the death penalty.

“I want my closing statement to be one of love and a calling to my fellow Christians to help us end the death penalty,” he said in a statement read by his lawyer, according to the South Carolina Department of Corrections, as reported by PEOPLE. Quoting Bible scriptures, he argued that “an eye for an eye was used as justification to the jury for seeking the death penalty,” stating that this no longer applied under the New Testament and urged others to reconsider capital punishment.

His final meal, served two days before his execution, was classic Southern comfort food: fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes with gravy, biscuits, cheesecake, and sweet tea.

The Bigger Picture: A Rare and Controversial Execution

Sigmon’s execution was historic for several reasons. It was only the fourth firing squad execution in the U.S. since 1977, with the most recent one occurring in Utah in 2010. South Carolina had paused executions for 13 years due to legal challenges, but now they’re back on the schedule - with a planned execution every five weeks.

Despite protests and a last-minute appeal, Sigmon’s fate was sealed. His supporters had argued for clemency, citing his good behavior in prison and his dedication to faith and ministry. But South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster wasn’t swayed, denying the request and keeping the state’s execution record unbroken.

Now, 28 more inmates remain on South Carolina’s death row, with two having exhausted their appeals. Sigmon’s execution reignited debates over capital punishment, leaving many questioning whether the system truly delivers justice - or just more bloodshed.

References: Man Who Was Executed by Firing Squad for the First Time in the U.S. Since 2010 Shared a Passionate Plea as His Final Words | A South Carolina man executed by firing squad is the first US prisoner killed this way in 15 years