An American triple murderer who was executed by firing squad had a final meal that has been disclosed. Stephen Bryant, a 44-year-old man from South Carolina, went on a killing spree over five days in 2004, resulting in the deaths of three individuals in the state’s rural area. After spending 20 years on death row, Bryant was put to death on Friday and declared deceased at 6.05pm.
The firing squad comprised three prison staff members who were armed with live ammunition and willingly carried out the execution. Bryant opted for death by firing squad instead of lethal injection or the electric chair. He did not make a final statement but briefly acknowledged the ten witnesses before a hood was placed over his head.
Approximately 55 seconds later, Bryant was shot. Witnesses reported that Bryant remained silent during the execution, with a bullseye target indicating his heart’s position detaching from his chest upon impact. He exhibited shallow breaths and a final spasm slightly over a minute later before a doctor officially pronounced him dead after a minute-long examination with a stethoscope.
A witness from the media observed a wet spot on Bryant’s shirt where he was shot in the chest. Three family members of the victims, serving as witnesses, held hands during the execution.
Bryant became the seventh person executed in South Carolina within 14 months following a hiatus of 13 years due to the unavailability of lethal injection drugs. For his last meal, Bryant selected a spicy mixed seafood stir-fry, fried fish over rice, egg rolls, stuffed shrimp, two candy bars, and German chocolate cake.
Bo King, a South Carolina attorney specializing in death penalty cases, mentioned that Bryant suffered from a genetic disorder and had a history of sexual and physical abuse by a relative, coupled with adverse effects from his mother’s alcoholism, which had lasting repercussions on his body and mind.
Bryant confessed to the murder of Willard “TJ” Tietjen in October 2004. He visited Tietjen’s residence in rural Sumter County under the guise of car trouble and fatally shot him. Bryant then answered Tietjen’s phone call to his wife and daughter, disclosing his actions as the perpetrator of the crime.
Additionally, Bryant was responsible for the killings of two other men, one before and one after Tietjen, by luring them into his car and shooting them when they exited the vehicle to urinate, as stated by local authorities.
Bryant marks the 43rd individual executed in the United States this year, with 14 more scheduled executions before year-end.