Death of Longest Serving Inmate on South Carolina’s Death Row

This week, authorities reported that Fred Singleton, an 81-year-old inmate, passed away from natural causes. He was recognized as the longest-serving prisoner on South Carolina’s death row.

The South Carolina Department of Corrections revealed on Friday that Singleton died on Monday at the Kirkland Correctional Facility infirmary. In 1983, he was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a woman in Newberry County, which included stealing her jewelry.

Singleton spent three decades in a sort of legal limbo after the state Supreme Court determined he wasn’t eligible for execution. This ruling was based on the idea that he didn’t fully grasp that he could face the electric chair, often responding with simple “yes” or “no” answers during discussions with his lawyer.

Interestingly, the justices also decided in 1993 that Singleton could not be mandated to take mental-health drugs aimed at preparing him for the death penalty, arguing that advancements in psychological treatment might change his condition.

In 1982, Singleton broke into the home of 73-year-old widow Elizabeth Lominik. Her body was found by two sisters and a niece; she had been strangled with a bed sheet, and fingerprints linking Singleton were discovered at the scene. When arrested in Georgetown County, he had Lominik’s diamond and gold ring in his possession, and her car was located nearby with his fingerprints inside.

With Singleton’s death, South Carolina’s death row now holds 24 inmates. Interestingly, there have been two executions via firing squad this year. Earlier in March, 67-year-old Brad Sigmon became the first person in the U.S. to face execution by firing squad in 15 years, after being convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend’s parents in 2001.

A month later, Michal Mahdi, 42, was also executed by firing squad. He had been convicted of killing an off-duty police officer in South Carolina, as well as a convenience store clerk in North Carolina.