South Carolina inmate Stephen Bryant executed by firing squad
Stephen Bryant, 44, was executed by firing squad at the Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia, South Carolina, on Friday, Nov. 14. Prison officials pronounced him dead at 6:05 p.m. local time, according to the Associated Press. Bryant had chosen death by firing squad over the other legal options in the state: lethal injection or electrocution.
Final meal: Bryant’s requested last meal included mixed seafood stir-fry, fried fish over rice, egg rolls, stuffed shrimp, two candy bars and German chocolate cake, the AP reported. The execution was carried out by three prison employees and witnessed by 10 people, including family members of the victims. Bryant declined to make a final statement.
Conviction and crime details
Bryant pleaded guilty in 2008 to three murders committed during a week-long burglary and killing spree in rural Sumter County in the fall of 2004. He was 23 at the time of the crimes. Court records and local reporting identified the victims as Clifton Gainey, 36; Willard Tietjen, 62; and Chris Burgess, 35.
According to local reports, Bryant shot Gainey on Oct. 9, 2004, and burglarized his home. On Oct. 11 he shot Tietjen in his home and left notes written in blood on the wall; one read, “Victim number four in two weeks, catch me if you can.” Investigators said Bryant also called Tietjen’s family and taunted them. Two days later he encountered and killed Burgess at a convenience store.
Mental health context and final request
At sentencing and in related court filings, Bryant’s lawyers said he had sought mental health counseling before the killings, saying he repeatedly relived sexual abuse he said he suffered as a child. After the execution, Bryant’s attorney Bo King released a statement conveying Bryant’s final wish: that no one be denied access to mental health care because they cannot afford it.
“He showed grace and courage in forgiving his family,” King said. “We will remember his unlikely friendships, his fierce protectiveness, and his love for nature, the water, and the world.”
Officials said Bryant was the third person executed by firing squad — and the seventh executed overall — in South Carolina this year. The state permits three execution methods under current law.
