A South Carolina inmate who brutally killed a man more than 20 years ago—and left chilling taunts written in the victim’s blood—has been scheduled for execution next month.
The state Supreme Court issued the death warrant Friday for 44-year-old Stephen Bryant. The court denied a request from Bryant’s lawyers to delay the execution, which cited complications due to working with the federal court system amid a U.S. government shutdown. Earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review Bryant’s death sentence.
### Multiple Killings Terrorized Sumter County
Bryant is scheduled to be executed on November 14 for one of the killings, but prosecutors said he also shot and killed two other men in a series of attacks that terrorized Sumter County in October 2004.
According to authorities, Bryant gave rides to his victims. As the men stopped on rural roads to relieve themselves, he shot them in the back. These random attacks spread fear among the roughly 100,000 residents of Sumter County, with law enforcement officers stopping nearly every vehicle on dirt roads and urging people to be cautious of strangers asking for help.
### Shocking Crime Scene and Taunts
Bryant admitted to killing Willard “TJ” Tietjen after stopping by his secluded home in rural Sumter County, claiming he had car trouble. Tietjen was shot multiple times, and candles were lit around his body. In a chilling display, someone used a potholder made by Tietjen’s daughter to write a message in blood on the wall:
*”victem 4 in 2 weeks. catch me if u can.”*
Tietjen’s daughter, Kimberly Dees, testified that after repeatedly calling her father with no answer, a strange voice finally responded. The person on the line claimed to be “The Prowler” and told her, “You can’t, I killed him.”
### Bryant’s Troubled Past
Bryant’s defense attorneys painted a picture of a deeply troubled man before the killings. His lawyers said Bryant begged a probation agent and his aunt for help, revealing he was tormented by memories of sexual abuse by four male relatives during his childhood.
Terry Caulder, Bryant’s aunt, testified about his emotional state, saying, “He was very upset. He looked like he was being tortured. It’s like his soul was just laid wide open.” According to his lawyers, Bryant tried to cope with the trauma through drugs, including methamphetamine and joints sprayed with bug killer.
### Execution Methods and Controversy
Since South Carolina resumed executions in 1985, Bryant will become the 50th person to be executed in the state. This will be the seventh execution in less than 14 months, following a long 13-year hiatus caused by a lack of lethal injection drugs and the closure of the death chamber.
Inmates in South Carolina can choose their method of execution. Bryant will have until October 31 to decide if he wants to die by lethal injection, firing squad, or the electric chair. Since executions resumed, four inmates have opted for lethal injection, while two chose the firing squad.
Executions nationwide continue, with 38 confirmed this year in the U.S. An inmate is scheduled for lethal injection in Arizona this Friday, and at least five more executions are planned across the country for the remainder of 2025.
### Debate Over Cruelty and Constitutionality
There has been ongoing debate about the humanity of South Carolina’s execution methods. Six inmates executed in the state since September 2024 argued that their treatment constituted cruel and unusual punishment, but these claims have not halted executions.
Critics of the firing squad point out that one shooting in particular, that of Mikal Mahdi, resulted in the volunteers missing the heart initially. Experts claim this might have extended the inmate’s pain. Conversely, an autopsy of Brad Sigmon—the first man executed by firing squad in the state—showed his heart was obliterated by three distinct bullet wounds, according to pathologist Dr. Jonathan Arden.
Inmates have also challenged lethal injection procedures, which currently involve two doses of the sedative pentobarbital. Some say that inmates may suffer from fluid rushing into their lungs while paralyzed and unable to react. However, witnesses to four recent executions reported no visible signs of struggle, noting that prisoners appeared to lose consciousness within about a minute.
### Death Row and Clemency
South Carolina currently has 29 inmates on death row. Notably, no clemencies have ever been granted in the state since the death penalty was reinstated.
Stephen Bryant’s execution looms as a somber chapter in the ongoing controversies and fears surrounding capital punishment in South Carolina.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/execution-south-carolina-stephen-bryant-message-written-victims-blood/