South Carolina Inmate Set for Execution Next Month

A death row inmate in South Carolina is facing execution next month for a murder committed over two decades ago. Steven Bryant, 44, was convicted after a grisly crime in which he shot and murdered a man, subjected him to further mutilation, and taunted authorities by painting “Catch Me If You Can” on a wall with the victim’s blood.

His execution is slated for November 14, following a death warrant issued by the state Supreme Court. Bryant’s legal team had sought a delay, citing their coordination with federal courts, but this request was denied.

While he is primarily being punished for one murder, prosecutors noted that in October 2004, Bryant also shot two other men who were urinating on the roadside in Sumter County.

He has until October 31 to decide on his method of execution—lethal injection, firing squad, or electric chair.

Since South Carolina resumed executions last year, after a 13-year pause due to difficulties obtaining lethal injection drugs, four inmates chose lethal injection while two were executed by firing squad.

Bryant admitted to killing Willard “TJ” Tietjen, who had approached him for help with car troubles. Tietjen was shot multiple times, and authorities found candles lit around his body, which is pretty unsettling, to say the least.

Evidence unveiled a gruesome scene, including a blood-soaked cloth and a message on the wall claiming, “Four victims in two weeks. Catch me if you can.”

Tietjen’s daughter, Kimberly Dees, grew concerned when her father failed to answer her calls. During her sixth attempt to reach him, she encountered a peculiar voice on the line. When she pressed for her father, the voice coldly replied, “I killed him.” The way she described the exchange was heart-wrenching and, I think, haunting.

In addition to Tietjen, prosecutors argue that Bryant killed two other men, one prior to Tietjen’s murder and another afterward, both while they were in vulnerable situations.

Bryant’s legal counsel has pointed to his traumatic childhood, marked by sexual abuse from family members, as a reason for his subsequent actions. They indicated that leading up to the murder, he was particularly tormented by these past experiences.

His aunt, Terry Calder, testified to the visible anguish he endured, describing it as if he was reliving his suffering.

To cope, he turned to drugs like methamphetamine, which, honestly, seems like a desperate attempt to numb the pain he was experiencing.

Since the state resumed executions, there have been complaints about the methods deemed as cruel and unusual punishment. Six inmates have been executed since the pause was lifted, and there have been troubling claims that some procedures didn’t go as planned, leading to prolonged suffering in certain cases.

South Carolina, which once led the nation in executions, had a long hiatus before restarting executions last September largely due to issues in sourcing lethal injection drugs, which had become a contentious matter for pharmaceutical companies.

A new law passed by the state Legislature now allows for the anonymity of drug suppliers, and execution by shooting has been reinstated as an option.

Bryant will be the 50th individual executed in South Carolina since 1985, and the seventh since last year. Nationally, at least five more executions are on the calendar before the end of the year, making this a contentious and ongoing debate across the country.