Firing Squad Execution of South Carolina's 'Catch Me If You Can' Killer

A South Carolina resident, found guilty of a brutal murder that took place over two decades ago, faced execution by a firing squad on a Friday night.

Stephen Bryant, aged 44, met his end for the murder committed within a private residence, after leaving the cryptic phrase 'catch me if u can' written in his victim's blood across the walls. The execution was completed at 6:05 p.m., with three correctional officers, all using live bullets, performing the task voluntarily. This event marks the third individual executed by this method in South Carolina within this year.

In a bid to alter the outcome, Bryant's legal team submitted a last-ditch appeal, highlighting that the trial judge overlooked the substantial brain impairment Bryant suffered, due to his exposure to drugs and alcohol prenataly from his mother. However, the Supreme Court declined a review of his death penalty in October.

Bryant's conviction stemmed from the 2004 murder of a man in his dwelling. Authorities asserted that apart from shooting him, Bryant used cigarettes to scar Willard 'TJ' Tietjen's eyes before painting the wall with his blood.

In a separate instance of violence, prosecutors detailed Bryant's involvement in the shooting deaths of two men whom he had picked up as they paused to relieve themselves on a roadside, during a period in October 2004, which filled Sumter County with fear.

Revived Execution Methods

March saw South Carolina make national headlines using the same execution method. The state dispatched three of five inmates this year with this reintroduced method.

It marked the seventh execution in just over a year since South Carolina recommenced the practice after a 13-year freeze due to challenges in acquiring lethal injection drugs.

Facing obstacles in securing lethal substances for executions, South Carolina was left exploring other options, hindered by legal stipulations until the firing squad was adopted anew amidst these constraints.

Clemency has been scarce in the state, with no governor granting it since the resumption of capital punishment in the U.S. in 1976.

Current Landscape of Capital Punishment

There has been a recent increase in executions in the United States following a decline during the pandemic, which saw a historic dip in the nation's application of the death penalty.

In 2025, 43 executions have occurred nationwide so far, with South Carolina's most recent marking the second this week, alongside one in Florida. An additional execution was planned in Oklahoma, but a pardon was granted by the governor there. Another 14 are slated for the remainder of 2025 and into next year.