Stephen Bryant became only the third person to die by firing squad in the state of South Carolina this year — as the lethal injection or the electric chair are often preferred
A triple murderer was killed by firing squad in a gruesome execution on death row last night.
Stephen Bryant, 44, opted for the grisly method, rather than the lethal injection or the electric chair, which are more common practices across the US. He became only the third person to die by firing squad in the state of South Carolina this year after three prison employees, all with live ammunition, volunteered to come forward.
Bryant had spent 21 years on death row for the murders of three men in five days, including one dad who had merely asked Bryant for help when his car broke down near the thug’s home. Last night, three family members of victims who served as witnesses held hands during the execution at the jail in South Carolina.
The murderer, who made no final statement, died within minutes of the impact. He became the seventh person put to death by South Carolina in 14 months, after the state had a 13-year pause in executions when it couldn’t obtain lethal injection drugs.
But Florida leads the way this year after, on Thursday night, it executed its 16th person — a record number for less than 12 months. Bryan Frederick Jennings was given the lethal injection there for raping and murdering a little girl four decades ago.
READ MORE: Murderer Bryan Frederick Jennings who raped and killed six-year-old girl dies in prisonREAD MORE: Killer’s chilling last word before execution for murdering pregnant mum and stealing baby
For his final meal, Bryant ordered a spicy mixed seafood stir-fry, fried fish over rice, egg rolls, stuffed prawns, two sweets, and a slice of German chocolate cake.
Bo King, a South Carolina attorney who works on death penalty cases, said Bryant suffered from a genetic disorder, endured sexual and physical abuse by relatives, and was harmed by his mother’s binge drinking, which he said “permanently damaged his body and brain.”
“Mr Bryant’s impairments left him unable to endure the tormenting memories of his childhood,” Mr King wrote in a statement.
Mr King added that Bryant “showed grace and courage in forgiving his family, and great love for those both inside and outside of prison.”
“We will remember his unlikely friendships, his fierce protectiveness, and his love for nature, the water, and the world,” Mr King wrote.
Bryant admitted to killing Willard “TJ” Tietjen in October 2004 after stopping at his isolated home in Sumter County, South Carolina, and claiming he had car trouble. Mr Tietjen was shot several times. When Mr Tietjen’s phone rang, Bryant answered it, telling both his wife and daughter that he was the prowler and that he had killed them, prosecutors said.
Bryant also killed two other men — one before and one after Mr Tietjen’s death. In both cases, he had offered them rides and shot them in the back when they stepped out to urinate on the side of the road, according to authorities. During the search for the killer, officers stopped nearly every driver on dirt roads in the area and warned residents to be cautious of strangers asking for help.
