A convicted triple-murderer, Stephen Bryant, who spent 17 years on death row in South Carolina after confessing to killing three men, has decided on his method of execution. Bryant, now 44 years old, shot four men, leaving one alive, during a crime spree in 2004. His fate on Death Row was sealed when he murdered Willard “TJ” Tietjen, 62, and left a haunting message in blood that read “catch me if u can.”
Despite over 15 years passing since his conviction for the brutal killings, Bryant is set to face execution in less than two weeks. He has opted to be executed by firing squad, with volunteers scheduled to shoot him from a distance of 15 feet on November 14. The date was finalized after the Supreme Court rejected his appeal to overturn his sentence. This execution will occur slightly over 20 years after Bryant’s heinous act against Tietjen.
During Bryant’s trial, it was revealed that he feigned car trouble to approach Tietjen before shooting him multiple times, looting his home, using his belongings, and even speaking to Tietjen’s family over the phone to inform them of his death. Tietjen’s daughter recounted the chilling conversation where Bryant callously admitted to killing her father after shooting him nine times and further tormenting him.
Following Tietjen’s murder, Bryant was also found guilty of killing two other men in Sumter County, South Carolina, in October 2004. Prosecutors secured three murder convictions against Bryant, leading to his death sentence on September 11, 2008. With the Supreme Court’s refusal to review his case, Bryant’s execution is imminent.
Bryant will join Mikal Mahdi, another spree killer, in facing death by firing squad. Mahdi, who was convicted in 2006 for a cross-state crime spree culminating in the murder of a police officer in South Carolina, met the same fate earlier this year. Mahdi’s execution by firing squad on April 11 resulted in prolonged suffering as the initial shots missed his heart.
The upcoming execution of Bryant is part of the ongoing legal process, with his chosen method of death marking a rare but established form of capital punishment in the United States.