Daijiworld Media Network – Columbia
Columbia, Nov 15: Stephen Corey Bryant, the South Carolina killer who taunted police by writing “catch me if u can” in the blood of one of his victims, was executed by firing squad on Friday, becoming the state’s third inmate to face this method in 2025. Bryant, 43, was pronounced dead at 6:05 pm.
Bryant was strapped to a chair, hooded, and shot simultaneously by three corrections officers from 15 feet away inside the execution chamber. He declined to give any last words.
His lawyers had urged leniency, citing childhood abuse and brain damage caused by prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol. Earlier this week, the South Carolina Supreme Court dismissed the appeals, clearing the path for the execution. Attorney Bo King condemned the process, calling it “barbaric” and saying none of the recent executions had made the state “safer or more just.”
Bryant became the 43rd inmate executed in the U.S. this year— the highest annual toll since 2012 — and only the sixth man in modern American history executed by firing squad.
Witnesses Describe the Final Moments
Media witnesses said Bryant was already strapped tightly into the execution chair when the curtain opened. A small bullseye placed over his heart flew across the room when the shots were fired, and blood pooled across his chest. He appeared to breathe shallowly for around 30 seconds, then made a final spasm before going still. Members of victim Willard “T.J.” Tietjen’s family watched in silence.
Bryant’s last meal included spicy seafood stir-fry, fried fish, stuffed shrimp, two egg rolls, candy bars, German chocolate cake and Pepsi.
The 2004 Killing Spree
Bryant’s execution stemmed from the brutal October 2004 murder of Tietjen, a 62-year-old Air Force veteran. On probation at the time, Bryant went on an eight-day rampage that left three men dead and one severely injured.
Tietjen allowed Bryant into his home, where the killer shot him nine times, burned his eyes with cigarettes, and lit candles around the body. Using Tietjen’s blood, Bryant wrote: “Victem 4 in 2 weeks. Catch me if u can.” He called Tietjen’s wife and daughter himself, telling them he had killed him.
Bryant had already killed his friend Clifton Gainey and a stranger, Christopher Burgess, earlier that week. Clinton Brown survived a gunshot to the back and later testified.
He pleaded guilty to all charges, receiving life sentences for two murders and the death penalty for Tietjen’s.
Who Was T.J. Tietjen?
A devoted husband, father and grandfather, Tietjen had retired after a long Air Force career. His family described him as a man full of “zest for life”—someone who taught his daughter to appreciate nature, music, and kindness. His last words to his wife, Mildred, were: “I love you.”
Why the Firing Squad?
South Carolina allows condemned inmates to choose between the electric chair, lethal injection or firing squad. Bryant chose the latter. The method has become more common as states struggle to obtain lethal injection drugs. South Carolina legalised firing squads in 2021 and has carried out two others this year.
Next U.S. Execution Scheduled in Florida
The next execution in the country is set for Richard Barry Randolph in Florida, convicted of the 1988 rape and murder of his neighbour Minnie Ruth McCollum. If carried out, it will be the 44th execution of the year—numbers not seen since 2010.