Brad Sigmon is set to be executed by firing squad later on Friday (March 7)
A man on death row who’s set to be executed by firing squad later on Friday (March 7) has made one final plea.
In 2002, Brad Sigmon was sentenced to death row for the brutal double murder of his ex-girlfriend Rebecca Barbre’s parents in Greenville County, South Carolina. The now 67-year-old man savagely beat her parents to death with a baseball bat at their home, according to CBS. After the killings, Sigmon kidnapped Rebecca at gunpoint, but she miraculously escaped from his car just as he attempted to shoot her. In addition to his death sentences for the murders, Sigmon was also handed a 30-year sentence for first-degree burglary. He has remained on death row ever since, awaiting his fate.
Brad Sigmon has faced numerous appeals to overturn his conviction, all of which have been rejected. His only remaining hope lies with Governor Henry McMaster, who may intervene to spare his life in the coming hours. Sigmon’s attorney, Bo King, argues that the inmate should be granted clemency because he was not provided crucial information about the lethal injection method when it was initially on the table. According to King, Sigmon repeatedly asked if the execution drugs had expired, been diluted, or spoiled, but these concerns were never addressed.
Sigmon is set to make history as the first US prisoner to be executed by firing squad in 15 years. According to The New York Post, Sigmon will be strapped to a chair, with a hood placed over his head. A target will be positioned over his heart, and three volunteers will fire at him from about 15 feet away, executing him through a small opening in the death chamber.
South Carolina gives death row inmates the option to choose their execution method: electric chair, lethal injection, or firing squad. As Brad Sigmon’s execution nears, his attorney, Bo King, argues that the death penalty is not appropriate in his case, as Sigmon was suffering from mental illness at the time of the crime. King contends that the death penalty is meant for the “worst of the worst” and claims there is evidence Sigmon was experiencing a psychotic break and was not competent during his trial. “This should argue against the imposition of the sentence,” King stated.
In his final hours, Sigmon reportedly chose three buckets of KFC as his last meal, a gesture that allowed him to share his meal with other inmates on death row, according to King.
