Authorities in South Carolina have executed a man accused of killing three in 2004 and scrawling the message “catch me if you can” on a wall in the blood of one of his victims.
A firing squad in South Carolina executed Stephen Bryant, 44, on Friday, the Department of Corrections said.
Bryant was convicted of killing three people during a 2004 crime spree and confessed to the murders over five days in a rural area of the state.
Three live ammunition prison employees volunteered to carry out the execution in the state capital of Columbia. Bryant was pronounced dead at 6:05 p.m. Friday. This is the third incident where a person has died using this method in the state this year.
How did Stephen Bryant die?
According to an AP report, Stephen Bryant chose to die by firing squad instead of lethal injection or the electric chair. While he made no final statement, the “catch me if you can” killer looked briefly at 10 witnesses before a mask was placed over his head.
Shots were fired about 55 seconds later. Bryant made no noise. A target with a red target marking the location of his heart flew forward from his chest. He took a few shallow breaths and for a little over a minute the last spasm. The doctor checked him with a stethoscope for a minute before pronouncing Bryant dead.
The South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) said Bryant was chained to a metal chair placed 15 feet (five meters) from a wall with a rectangular opening before the execution.
All three rifles were to have live ammunition and an “aiming point” would be placed over the convict’s heart.
For his final meal, Bryant had a spicy seafood stir fry, fried fish and rice, egg rolls, stuffed shrimp, two breadsticks and a German chocolate cake.
There have been 43 executions in the United States this year, the most since 2012, when the same number of inmates were executed.
Thirty-five of this year’s executions were by lethal injection, three by firing squad and five by nitrogen hypoxia, which involves pumping nitrogen gas into a face mask, causing the prisoner to suffocate.
The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others – California, Oregon and Pennsylvania – have moratoriums.
