South Carolina Executes Triple Murderer Stephen Bryant by Firing Squad

Stephen Bryant, 44, convicted of killing three men in rural Sumter County over a week-long spree in October 2004, was executed by firing squad on November 14, 2025, at the Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia, South Carolina. He was pronounced dead at 6:05 p.m. His execution was the third carried out by firing squad in South Carolina in just over a year, ending a 13-year hiatus in capital punishment in the state.

The 2004 Murders

Bryant was 23 when he fatally shot three men: Clifton Gainey, 36, a coworker; Willard “TJ” Tietjen, 62; and Chris Burgess, 35. At Tietjen’s home, investigators said Bryant left notes written in the victim’s blood on the walls - including one reading “Victim number four in two weeks, catch me if you can.” He also taunted Tietjen’s wife and daughter by answering the victim’s phone and confirming his death, and burned Tietjen’s eyes with cigarettes.

Bryant’s Background

Bryant’s attorneys revealed he suffered from a genetic disorder and brain damage caused by his mother’s alcohol and drug use during pregnancy, and that he endured severe physical and sexual abuse in childhood. In the years before the murders, he reportedly sought mental health counseling but was denied treatment because he could not afford the $75 fee. His attorneys argued this lack of care left him unable to cope with the trauma of his childhood - a factor they said was not fully considered at sentencing.

Execution and Final Wish

Bryant chose the firing squad over lethal injection and electrocution - South Carolina allows inmates to select their method. A squad of three prison employees fired simultaneously; Bryant took a few shallow breaths and experienced a final spasm before a doctor confirmed death. A red bull’s-eye target placed over his heart reportedly flew forward after the shots were fired. Ten witnesses attended, including family members of the victims who held hands during the execution.

His final meal was mixed seafood stir-fry, fried fish over rice, egg rolls, stuffed shrimp, two candy bars, and German chocolate cake. His final wish, relayed by his attorney Bo King, was that no one else be denied mental health support due to financial barriers. King said: “That is consistent with the man we knew, who showed grace and courage in forgiving his family and great love for those in and outside of his prison. We will remember his unlikely friendships, his fierce protectiveness, and his love for nature, the water, and the world. We will miss him.”

References: South Carolina Triple Murderer Ate Final Meal Before Firing Squad Execution | South Carolina executes third inmate by firing squad this year | South Carolina executes man by firing squad, in state’s third such killing in year