Death Row Inmate Chooses Firing Squad for Execution in South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Mikal Mahdi, a 41-year-old death row inmate in South Carolina, has opted for execution by firing squad, scheduled for April 11, 2025. This decision comes shortly after the state executed another inmate using the same method, marking a rare occurrence in the United States.

Mahdi was convicted in 2004 of murdering Orangeburg public safety officer James Myers. He had several options for execution, including lethal injection and the electric chair, but chose the firing squad, which one of his lawyers, David Weiss, described as the “lesser of three evils.” In a statement, Weiss highlighted the brutal nature of the alternatives Mahdi faced, stating, “Mikal chose the firing squad instead of being burned and mutilated in the electric chair or suffering a lingering death on the lethal injection gurney.”

The last execution by firing squad in the United States took place in 2010 in Utah. Since then, only a handful of executions by this method have been recorded, with Mahdi set to become only the second inmate executed by firing squad in South Carolina’s history, following Brad Sigmon‘s execution on March 7. Sigmon’s execution took less than three minutes.

Mahdi’s criminal history traces back to July 2004, when he stole a firearm and car in Virginia, subsequently committing a robbery and leading to a carjacking. He ambushed Myers upon the officer’s return home from a birthday celebration, shooting him multiple times, including twice in the head. Mahdi then set fire to Myers’ body, which was discovered by the officer’s wife.

In court proceedings, Mahdi’s legal team has argued that he did not receive a fair defense during his trial, with one lawyer asserting his case’s presentation lasted only 30 minutes. “It didn’t even span the length of a ‘Law & Order’ episode,” Weiss claimed. The defense has also expressed concerns over Mahdi’s mental health, alleging that early trauma and neglect contributed to his actions and that he exhibited severe emotional struggles as a juvenile.

The South Carolina Supreme Court is set to hear arguments concerning the legality of the state’s execution methods on February 6, 2024, as public scrutiny of the death penalty intensifies. Mahdi’s execution is scheduled for 6 p.m. on April 11 at the Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia, where a target will be affixed to his chest, and he will be shot at from a distance by three prison staff armed with rifles.

With the clock ticking down to his execution date, Mahdi’s legal team continues to fight against the sentence, highlighting the psychological impact of solitary confinement he experienced as a juvenile. They argue that despite his past crimes, executing him would dismiss the systemic failures that led to his current situation.

South Carolina has not witnessed an execution since 2011 prior to the recent executions, and no governor has commuted a death sentence since returning to executions in the state in 1976.