Brad Sigmon, convicted of a double murder in 2002, was executed by firing squad after his final appeals failed.
Sigmon’s execution was the first in 15 years by firing squad. He ate a large final meal, having three buckets of KFC. Mashed potatoes and green beans came with it, and he shared it with other inmates.
Sigmon, age 67, was sentenced in 2002. He murdered his ex-girlfriend’s parents, the killings happening after she broke up with him, just one week after the breakup.
Sigmon was on crack during that time. He told a friend his plans, wanting to hurt his ex for leaving. He planned to tie up her parents too.
Sigmon declared himself guilty at his trial. This was 23 years before his execution. He appealed to the Supreme Court, wanting to delay his death, but the request was denied.
The execution occurred after 6pm EST on Friday. Three volunteers fired at him with guns at Broad River Correctional Institution where Sigmon was confined.
He was pronounced dead at 6:08 pm. The prison employees used rifles loaded with live bullets. Sigmon wore a black jumpsuit with a hood on his head.
He had a target on his chest, white with a red bullseye. The shooters stood 15 feet away from Sigmon. The state’s unused electric chair was nearby and the lethal injection gurney was removed.
The volunteers fired together through openings. Witnesses watched from behind bulletproof glass. The target flew off Sigmon’s chest, and he appeared to take a few more breaths.
A red stain was on his chest. Small amounts of tissue showed from the wound. His arms tensed briefly when shot, and a doctor checked Sigmon and declared him dead.
Sigmon avoided death by electric chair in 2021. Inmates can choose their method of execution. His lawyer said he chose the firing squad because he feared being “cooked alive” by the chair.
The lawyer argued both methods were barbaric. Sigmon wanted a delay. He wanted info on the lethal injection drug. His lawyers said he chose out of fear and lacked information to assess options.
He feared the lethal injection procedure could leave him drowning in fluids. Sigmon is the fourth US inmate killed by firing squad since 1976. The prior three were in Utah, and the most recent was in 2010.