Brother of death row inmate reveals final moments after execution by three-man firing squad
Warning: This story contains details of an execution, some of which readers may find distressing.
The brother of a death row inmate who chose to die by a three-man firing squad in South Carolina, recalled the final moments before his execution.
Brad Sigmon became the first American to be executed via this method in 15 years, on Friday (7 March).
The 67-year-old convict decided on this method of death as he was concerned about the drugs used in lethal injections and how long they would take, while also being scared of being 'burned and cooked alive' by the electric chair.
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A witness, Jeffrey Collins, recently revealed that the death row inmate 'had a target over his heart' when the curtain opened.
Collins added: "The firing squad is certainly faster – and more violent – than lethal injection. It’s a lot more tense, too."
He said it was 'unlike other executions' he had seen over the years.
Simon was sentenced to death almost 23 years ago, in July 2002, when he was convicted of the 2001 killings of his ex-girlfriend’s parents, David and Gladys Larke, with a baseball bat, as well as the kidnapping of his ex-girlfriend, Rebecca Barbare.
Now, Sigmon's brother, Mike, has spoken about the method and how his late brother 'was dignified' when faced with the method.
While he, nor any of the convict's siblings or parents were present at the execution, Mike and Brad's other two brothers and two sisters visited him in prison a week prior.
Mike explained to the New York Post: “He had a proud face when he sat down to be shot. I’m never going to feel relieved about it but he said what he wanted to say and he died the way he wanted to die.”
He added that his brother was in 'great spirits and ready to go join the Lord'.
Sigmon's 85-year-old mother is said to have Alzheimer's, and is currently in a nursing home, with her children not planning to tell her of the execution.
Mike further admitted that that his brother wanted to die after committing the murders in 2001.
The 66-year-old went on: “He’s been apologetic since the day he was captured.
“He wanted death by cop. He called my mom and she said you know my phone is tapped. He knew. He wanted to pretend he had a gun behind his back so the cops would shoot him but they tackled him so fast he had no time to react,” Mike concluded.
Court documents revealed that Brad was high on cocaine and drunk when he said to a friend that he would 'get Becky for leaving him the way she did', adding that he would 'tie her parents up'.
In Brad’s final statement prior to his execution he stated: “An eye for an eye was used as justification to the jury for seeking the death penalty. At that time, I was too ignorant to know how wrong that was.
"Why? Because we no longer live under the Old Testament law, but now live under the New Testament."
Joshua Nair