A South Carolina firing squad execution went horribly wrong, leaving a convicted murderer writhing in pain for far too long, the Sun reported on Friday.
Mikal Mahdi, a 42-year-old who gunned down a police officer and two others, was strapped to a chair and shot on April 11, but the bullets missed his heart, prolonging his suffering. Experts and his legal team are now crying foul, claiming the botched job violated South Carolina’s ban on cruel punishment. Actions have consequences, but this was a mess.
In 2004, Mahdi shot Captain James Myers nine times and set his body ablaze, earning him a death sentence for that and other murders, plus carjacking and robbery. He chose the firing squad over lethal injection or the electric chair, fearing a “lingering death” or mutilation. Irony’s a harsh mistress, isn’t it?
Three volunteer prison workers fired at a red bullseye over Mahdi’s heart, but only two bullet wounds were found in his chest. The shots tore through his liver and other organs, missing the heart entirely. He bled out, alive and groaning for up to a minute.
Mahdi cried out, flexed his arms, and groaned twice before taking his final breath 80 seconds after the shots. A doctor pronounced him dead four minutes later. That’s a long time to suffer for someone the state called “the epitome of evil.”
“Mr. Mahdi did experience excruciating conscious pain,” said Dr. Jonathan Arden, a pathologist hired by Mahdi’s team. Excuse me, but wasn’t the point to avoid this? South Carolina’s Supreme Court claimed firing squads kill in 15 seconds, so someone’s math is off.
Mahdi’s lawyers filed a “Notice of botched execution” with the South Carolina Supreme Court on Thursday, pointing to the autopsy as proof of failure. The state’s constitution bans cruel punishment, but last year, the court greenlit firing squads, insisting they’re quick. Clearly, they didn’t get the memo on this one.
“He’s not going to die instantaneously,” said Dr. Carl Wigren, another forensic pathologist. He scoffed at the state’s claim that two bullets might have gone through one wound, calling it “pretty minuscule.” Sounds like someone’s covering their tracks.
This was South Carolina’s second firing squad execution in just over a month, following Brad Sigmon’s in March. Mahdi’s was the fifth execution in the state in under eight months and the 12th in the U.S. that year. Maybe it’s time to rethink the process.
A 2023 South Carolina law hides details about executions, like the identities of the firing squad or drug sources for lethal injections. The ACLU sued in January, arguing it “silences scrutiny” of these practices. Transparency? Not in this state.
“This ban criminalizes the disclosure of information,” the ACLU complained in their lawsuit. Funny how the state wants to keep things quiet when things go wrong. Accountability shouldn’t be a dirty word.
Only one of two recent execution autopsies has been released, with Sigmon’s showing odd fluid in his lungs. Mahdi’s autopsy, however, paints a grim picture of a man left to bleed out. Secrecy only fuels suspicion.
During Mahdi’s trial, Assistant Solicitor David Pascoe called him a man with a heart “full of hate and malice.” Captain Myers’ wife, Amy Tripp Myers, spoke of finding her husband “lifeless, lying in a pool of blood.” Those words hit harder than any bullet.
Mahdi himself admitted guilt in a letter before his death, writing, “What I’ve done is irredeemable.” At least he owned it, but that doesn’t erase the pain he caused. Justice is messy, but it shouldn’t be this cruel.
Governor Henry McMaster denied clemency, and the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Mahdi’s final plea. South Carolina’s recent lethal injections took 20 minutes to kill, so maybe the firing squad was a gamble that didn’t pay off. Here’s a thought: get it right next time.
