South Carolina House adds firing squad to execution methods
3 years, 8 months ago

South Carolina House adds firing squad to execution methods

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina House voted Wednesday to add a firing squad to the state’s execution methods amid a lack of lethal-injection drugs — a measure meant to jump-start executions in a state that once had one of the busiest death chambers in the nation. “If you push the green button at the end of the day and vote to pass this bill out of this body, you may as well be throwing the switch yourself.” South Carolina first began using the electric chair in 1912 after taking over the death penalty from individual counties, which usually hanged prisoners. The bill retains lethal injection as the primary method of execution if the state has the drugs, but requires prison officials to use the electric chair or firing squad if it doesn’t. “This bill doesn’t deal with the merits or the propriety of whether we should have a death penalty in South Carolina,” Newton said.

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History of this topic

After holiday pause, South Carolina begins scheduling executions again
6 days, 7 hours ago

After holiday pause, South Carolina begins scheduling executions again

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina’s Supreme Court set a Jan. 31 date for the state’s next execution after allowing a pause for the Christmas holidays. The court could have set a date as early as Dec. 6 for Bowman’s death, but the justices accepted without comment a request from lawyers for the four inmates awaiting execution that the state pause …

South Carolina death row inmate makes final appeal, says trial lawyer wasn’t prepared
3 weeks, 2 days ago

South Carolina death row inmate makes final appeal, says trial lawyer wasn’t prepared

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A man convicted of murder who is expected to be the next inmate scheduled for execution in South Carolina is making a final appeal to the state Supreme Court, saying his trial lawyer was inadequately prepared and had too much sympathy for the victim. They said Bowman’s lawyer at his trial called the victim, who was white, …

South Carolina to take a break from executions for the holidays
1 month, 3 weeks ago

South Carolina to take a break from executions for the holidays

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Supreme Court has decided the state should take a break from executions for the holidays. South Carolina restarted its death chamber this year after an unintended 13-year break in executions in part because companies refused to sell the state drugs needed for lethal injections if the companies could be identified. South Carolina was among …

South Carolina does not set a date for the next execution after requests for a holiday pause
1 month, 4 weeks ago

South Carolina does not set a date for the next execution after requests for a holiday pause

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina’s Supreme Court has not set a date for the state’s next execution after lawyers for four inmates out of appeals asked them to postpone deaths until after Christmas and New Year’s. The justices typically issue notices on Fridays because it gives the maximum amount of time of 28 days to prepare for the execution which …

Justices refuse to stop execution of South Carolina inmate who says the jury was racially biased
2 months, 1 week ago

Justices refuse to stop execution of South Carolina inmate who says the jury was racially biased

The Independent  

Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday refused to …

Condemned South Carolina inmate chooses to die by lethal injection
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Condemned South Carolina inmate chooses to die by lethal injection

The Independent  

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Lethal injection, electric chair, firing squad or even nitrogen gas: the execution methods still used in the world today as one death row inmate in the US faces an impossible choice
2 months, 4 weeks ago

Lethal injection, electric chair, firing squad or even nitrogen gas: the execution methods still used in the world today as one death row inmate in the US faces an impossible choice

Daily Mail  

After languishing on Death Row for almost 25 years, convicted murderer Richard Moore now faces an agonising decision – choosing how he will be executed. Richard Moore, 59, a South Carolina Death Row inmate, has the choice to either die by the firing squad, electric chair or lethal injection Moore has now been on South Carolina's Death Row for 23 …

South Carolina executes a man for first time in 13 years despite new testimony hints at his innocence
3 months, 2 weeks ago

South Carolina executes a man for first time in 13 years despite new testimony hints at his innocence

Firstpost  

The 46-year-old inmate was killed by a lethal injection and was pronounced dead at 6:55 p.m.. However, the execution came days after the key witness for the prosecution came forward to admit that he lied at the trial South Carolina executed death row inmate Freddie Owens, the first man to be put to death by the state in 13 years. …

US man convicted of killing store clerk faces death in first of 5 executions over next week
3 months, 2 weeks ago

US man convicted of killing store clerk faces death in first of 5 executions over next week

Firstpost  

Owens was sentenced to death in 1999 for the murder of Irene Graves, a mother of three, during an armed robbery of a convenience store in Greenville, South Carolina, on Halloween night in 1997 This undated booking photo obtained from the South Carolina Department of Corrections in Columbia, South Carolina, shows death row inmate Freddie Owens, 46. AFP A man …

South Carolina inmate dies by lethal injection in state’s first execution in 13 years
3 months, 2 weeks ago

South Carolina inmate dies by lethal injection in state’s first execution in 13 years

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina put inmate Freddie Owens to death Friday as the state restarted executions after an unintended 13-year pause because prison officials couldn’t get the drugs needed for lethal injections. South Carolina’s governor and corrections director swiftly filed a reply, stating the high court should reject Owens’ petition. First execution in 13 years Owens may be the …

South Carolina Supreme Court rejects claim inmate didn’t kill clerk and refuses to stop execution
3 months, 3 weeks ago

South Carolina Supreme Court rejects claim inmate didn’t kill clerk and refuses to stop execution

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Supreme Court has again refused to stop the execution of inmate Freddie Owens who is set to die Friday by lethal injection. Golden testified at Owens’ trial, saying prosecutors promised to consider his testimony in his favor but he still faced the death penalty or life in prison. Prosecutors have said Golden wasn’t the …

South Carolina justices refuse to stop state’s first execution in 13 years
3 months, 4 weeks ago

South Carolina justices refuse to stop state’s first execution in 13 years

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Supreme Court on Thursday refused to stop the execution of Freddie Owens who is set to die by lethal injection next week in the state’s first execution in 13 years. That evidence, plus an argument that Owens’ death sentence was too harsh because a jury never conclusively determined he pulled the trigger on the …

Forced to choose how to die, South Carolina inmate lets lawyer pick lethal injection
4 months ago

Forced to choose how to die, South Carolina inmate lets lawyer pick lethal injection

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A condemned inmate forced to choose how he’ll be put to death ended weeks of suspense by leaving the decision to his lawyer, who reluctantly told South Carolina prison officials on Friday to prepare for a lethal injection, rather than the electric chair or a firing squad. Owens’ death is now set for Sept. 20, as South …

Inmate asks to delay execution, says co-defendant who blamed him for killing had secret deal
4 months, 1 week ago

Inmate asks to delay execution, says co-defendant who blamed him for killing had secret deal

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — An inmate set to be executed in South Carolina in three weeks wants the state Supreme Court to delay the execution so his lawyers can argue his co-defendant who testified against him lied about having no plea deal in exchange for his testimony. Also on Friday, the South Carolina’s Supreme Court promised it would wait at least …

Is South Carolina Willing to Heed the Clearest Lesson We Have About Executions?
55 years ago

Is South Carolina Willing to Heed the Clearest Lesson We Have About Executions?

Slate  

Carrying out an execution is always a complicated business that takes a horrible toll on anyone who is associated with it. On Monday, the South Carolina Supreme Court gave the go-ahead for the state’s next execution and also agreed to consider a request from four of the state’s death-row inmates that South Carolina wait at least three months between executions. …

South Carolina prison director says electric chair, firing squad and lethal injection ready to go
4 months, 1 week ago

South Carolina prison director says electric chair, firing squad and lethal injection ready to go

The Independent  

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South Carolina prison director says electric chair, firing squad and lethal injection ready to go
4 months, 1 week ago

South Carolina prison director says electric chair, firing squad and lethal injection ready to go

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina’s prisons director said Wednesday that state’s supply of a lethal injection drug is pure, its electric chair was tested two months ago and its firing squad has the ammunition and training to carry out its first execution next month in more than 13 years. Corrections Director Bryan Stirling was ordered by the state Supreme Court …

South Carolina Supreme Court to decide minimum time between executions
4 months, 2 weeks ago

South Carolina Supreme Court to decide minimum time between executions

Associated Press  

The South Carolina Supreme Court won’t allow another execution in the state until it determines a minimum amount of time between sending inmates to the death chamber. But as it set Owens’ execution date Friday, the court also agreed to take up a request from four other death row inmates who are out of appeals to require the state to …

South Carolina Supreme Court to decide minimum time between executions
4 months, 2 weeks ago

South Carolina Supreme Court to decide minimum time between executions

The Independent  

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South Carolina sets date for first execution in more than 13 years
4 months, 2 weeks ago

South Carolina sets date for first execution in more than 13 years

The Independent  

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South Carolina sets date for first execution in more than 13 years
4 months, 2 weeks ago

South Carolina sets date for first execution in more than 13 years

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina has set a Sept. 20 date to put inmate Freddie Eugene Owens to death in what would be the state’s first execution in more than 13 years. He must also give Owens’ lawyers proof that the lethal injection drug is stable and correctly mixed, according to the high court’s 2023 interpretation of the state’s secrecy …

South Carolina Supreme Court rules state death penalty including firing squad is legal
5 months, 1 week ago

South Carolina Supreme Court rules state death penalty including firing squad is legal

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina can execute death row inmates by firing squad, lethal injection or the electric chair, the state’s high court ruled Wednesday, opening the door to restart executions after more than a decade. South Carolina allowing inmates to choose from the three execution methods is far from an effort to inflict pain but a sincere attempt at …

South Carolina Supreme Court rules state death penalty including firing squad is legal
5 months, 1 week ago

South Carolina Supreme Court rules state death penalty including firing squad is legal

CNN  

COLUMBIA, S.C. AP — The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the state’s death penalty, which now includes a firing squad as well as lethal injection and the electric chair, is legal. The Supreme Court allowed the inmates to add arguments that the shield law was too secret by not releasing the potency, purity and stabilization of lethal injection …

Death row inmate in South Carolina resentenced to life in prison
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Death row inmate in South Carolina resentenced to life in prison

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A man who spent nearly two decades on South Carolina’s death row for killing two people has been granted life in prison without parole two years after a federal court overturned his original sentence, news outlets report. Allen’s life sentence leaves 32 inmates on South Carolina’s death row, down from 63 in early 2011, when the state …

First Alabama brought in nitrogen gas executions. Now South Carolina is looking to bring back the electric chair
10 months, 3 weeks ago

First Alabama brought in nitrogen gas executions. Now South Carolina is looking to bring back the electric chair

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. With issues around the use of lethal injections …

South Carolina wants to restart executions by firing squad, electric chair and lethal injection
11 months ago

South Carolina wants to restart executions by firing squad, electric chair and lethal injection

Hindustan Times  

Lawyers for four death row inmates who have run out of appeals are expected to argue to the South Carolina Supreme Court that the state's old electric chair and new firing squad are cruel and unusual punishments. If the Supreme Court justices allow executions to restart and any additional appeals are unsuccessful, South Carolina's death chamber, unused since May 2011, …

South Carolina wants to restart executions with firing squad, electric chair and lethal injection
11 months ago

South Carolina wants to restart executions with firing squad, electric chair and lethal injection

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Lawyers for four death row inmates who have run out of appeals argued to the South Carolina Supreme Court on Tuesday that the state’s old electric chair and new firing squad are cruel and unusual punishments. And they got a lawyer for the inmates to say if the Supreme Court bans electrocution and the firing squad and …

Could Louisiana soon resume death row executions?
11 months, 1 week ago

Could Louisiana soon resume death row executions?

Associated Press  

— Louisiana hasn’t carried out a death row execution since 2010, but between a new conservative governor who is in favor of capital punishment and other states implementing alternative methods to lethal injections, the Deep South state could soon look at ways to resume. Jeff Landry hinted at a willingness to explore expanding execution methods, saying he is committed to …

South Carolina has lethal injection drug but justices want more info before restarting executions
1 year, 2 months ago

South Carolina has lethal injection drug but justices want more info before restarting executions

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina’s highest court apparently is not ready to allow the state to restart executions after more than 12 years until they hear more arguments about newly obtained lethal injection drugs as well as a recently added firing squad and the old electric chair. South Carolina has not carried out an execution since 2011 after the state’s …

South Carolina inmates want executions paused while new lethal injection method is studied
1 year, 3 months ago

South Carolina inmates want executions paused while new lethal injection method is studied

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Lawyers for six death row inmates out of appeals in South Carolina are asking the state Supreme Court to give full consideration to the state’s new lethal injection rules as well as the electric chair and firing squad before restarting executions after an unintended 12-year pause. The inmates said judges should decide now if the state’s new …

After unintended 12-year pause, South Carolina secures drug to resume lethal injections
1 year, 3 months ago

After unintended 12-year pause, South Carolina secures drug to resume lethal injections

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina has obtained a drug needed to carry out lethal injections and is ready to perform the state’s first execution in over 12 years, officials announced Tuesday. The South Carolina General Assembly passed a shield law in May allowing the state to keep secret the procedure for executions and the suppliers of drugs or other items …

Executions may return to South Carolina; shield law nears OK
1 year, 8 months ago

Executions may return to South Carolina; shield law nears OK

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A bill that would allow South Carolina to buy the drugs needed for lethal injection without revealing the name of the company who sells them will soon be heading for the governor’s desk. South Carolina has had an unintended 12-year moratorium on the death penalty after its lethal injection drugs passed their expiration date and pharmacies refused …

South Carolina gets closer to lethal injection secrecy
1 year, 8 months ago

South Carolina gets closer to lethal injection secrecy

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — After an unintended 12-year moratorium on the death penalty in South Carolina, the state House gave key approval Wednesday to allow the name of any company that sells lethal injection drugs to remain secret, as well as members of the execution team. “Just bring out a dead body.” Sixteen states have carried out nearly 100 lethal injection …

Why executions by firing squad may be coming back in the US
1 year, 9 months ago

Why executions by firing squad may be coming back in the US

Associated Press  

CHICAGO — The image of gunmen in a row firing in unison at a condemned prisoner may conjure up a bygone, less enlightened era. Some, including a few Supreme Court justices, view firing squads as less cruel than lethal injections, despite the violence involved in riddling bodies with bullets. Under Idaho’s bill, firing squads would be used only if executioners …

S. Carolina bill shielding death penalty drugmakers advances
1 year, 11 months ago

S. Carolina bill shielding death penalty drugmakers advances

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Republicans’ quest to resume executions in South Carolina overcame another hurdle Thursday. The state Senate Corrections and Penology Committee approved a bill that would shield the identities of the companies that dispense the drug cocktail used to execute people on death row. Recent sessions have seen futile attempts to begin executing the state’s death row prisoners — …

Court demands more info in South Carolina death penalty case
1 year, 11 months ago

Court demands more info in South Carolina death penalty case

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Supreme Court ordered a lower court to collect more information from the Department of Corrections regarding the state agency’s attempts to acquire lethal injection drugs. The order reversed a previous ruling that denied the plaintiffs’ request for such information from the circuit court, which Chief Justice Donald Beatty wrote “abused its discretion.” “Inmates’ discovery …

South Carolina still seeking a way to hold executions
1 year, 11 months ago

South Carolina still seeking a way to hold executions

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — As judges decide if the electric chair or a firing squad are legal execution methods in South Carolina, lawmakers are trying to figure out how 14 other states have managed to get the drugs for lethal injections. About 30 inmates are on death row and four of the condemned are out of appeals, but South Carolina’s last …

Electric chair, firing squad’s legality at S. Carolina court
2 years ago

Electric chair, firing squad’s legality at S. Carolina court

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina’s highest court heard arguments Thursday on whether a newly organized firing squad or the old electric chair are legal ways to execute inmates in the state, which has been unable to obtain drugs for lethal injections. The state appealed and the South Carolina Supreme Court heard arguments for nearly three hours Thursday over whether the …

South Carolina Judge Bars State Executions Method Similar to “Being Burned Alive” and “Torture”
55 years ago

South Carolina Judge Bars State Executions Method Similar to “Being Burned Alive” and “Torture”

Slate  

Death in the electric chair is like “being burned alive.” The firing squad is like “torture.” Those were the conclusions of a truly unprecedented judicial “two-for.” On Wednesday, a South Carolina state judge, Jocelyn Newman, relying in large part on that state’s constitution, struck down two methods of execution at once. Key to their suit was their contention that “both …

Judge says SC electric chair, firing squad unconstitutional
2 years, 4 months ago

Judge says SC electric chair, firing squad unconstitutional

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A South Carolina judge ruled Tuesday that the state’s newly created execution firing squad, as well as its use of the electric chair, are unconstitutional, siding with four death row inmates in a decision sure to be swiftly appealed as the state struggles to implement its new execution protocols. Attorneys for the state countered with their own …

Judge to decide if firing squad or electric chair is cruel
2 years, 5 months ago

Judge to decide if firing squad or electric chair is cruel

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Whether South Carolina can start executing prisoners again either with a firing squad or electric chair is now in the hands of a judge after a trial over whether shooting or electrocuting inmates is cruel and unusual punishment banned by the U.S. Constitution. Lawyers for four death row inmates argued this week the prisoners would feel terrible …

Man leaves S Carolina death row as firing squad trial starts
2 years, 5 months ago

Man leaves S Carolina death row as firing squad trial starts

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A South Carolina inmate who killed four people in two states is off death row after a federal appeals court ruled the judge who sentenced him to die nearly two decades ago did not consider his abusive childhood or mental illness. The ruling last week means the number of prisoners on South Carolina’s death row has been …

EXPLAINED: How US State of South Carolina Execution Firing Squad Works
2 years, 8 months ago

EXPLAINED: How US State of South Carolina Execution Firing Squad Works

News 18  

It’s unknown how long a stay will hold off the execution of Richard Bernard Moore — South Carolina’s first-ever inmate to be put to death by a firing squad — as his attorneys pursue legal challenges. South Carolina just instituted the firing squad option last year, giving condemned inmates the choice between that and electrocution, prompted by an inability to …

EXPLAINER: How South Carolina execution firing squad works
2 years, 8 months ago

EXPLAINER: How South Carolina execution firing squad works

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — It’s unknown how long a stay will hold off the execution of Richard Bernard Moore — South Carolina’s first-ever inmate to be put to death by a firing squad — as his attorneys pursue legal challenges. South Carolina just instituted the firing squad option last year, giving condemned inmates the choice between that and electrocution, prompted by …

EXPLAINER: How South Carolina execution firing squad works
2 years, 8 months ago

EXPLAINER: How South Carolina execution firing squad works

The Independent  

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2nd SC execution on hold after court halts firing squad plan
2 years, 8 months ago

2nd SC execution on hold after court halts firing squad plan

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina’s highest court, two days after pausing plans for a rare firing squad execution, announced Friday that it was putting another execution on hold as inmates challenge the constitutionality of the state’s capital punishment methods. The order comes after the court this week temporarily blocked the state from executing Richard Bernard Moore, whose scheduled April 29 …

Court halts South Carolina plan for firing squad execution
2 years, 8 months ago

Court halts South Carolina plan for firing squad execution

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina’s highest court on Wednesday issued a temporary stay blocking the state from carrying out what was set to be its first-ever firing squad execution. Attorneys for the 57-year-old inmate had sought a stay, citing pending litigation in another court challenging the constitutionality of South Carolina’s execution methods, which also include the electric chair. Moore’s execution …

South Carolina Supreme Court temporarily halts planned execution by firing squad
2 years, 8 months ago

South Carolina Supreme Court temporarily halts planned execution by firing squad

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The South Carolina Supreme …

Oscar Smith: A Tennessee death row inmate is set to be executed after governor denies him clemency
2 years, 8 months ago

Oscar Smith: A Tennessee death row inmate is set to be executed after governor denies him clemency

CNN  

CNN — A man convicted of killing his estranged wife and her sons in 1989 is set to be executed Thursday after Tennessee Gov. The governor declined to intervene in Oscar Smith’s case Tuesday, setting the 72-year-old inmate up to be the first person executed in the state since the Covid-19 pandemic began. New cutting-edge DNA evidence excluding Mr. Smith …

On Death Row for 2 Decades, South Carolina Inmate Picks the Firing Squad Over Electric Chair
2 years, 8 months ago

On Death Row for 2 Decades, South Carolina Inmate Picks the Firing Squad Over Electric Chair

News 18  

A South Carolina prisoner scheduled to be the first man executed in the state in more than a decade has decided to die by firing squad rather than in the electric chair later this month, according to court documents filed Friday. Moore’s would mark the first since Ronnie Lee Gardner ‘s 2010 execution by a five-person firing squad in Utah. …

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