A man sentenced to death is awaiting execution by firing squad this Friday in South Carolina, in the southeastern United States.
Stephen Bryant, 44, killed three men within five days in 2004. He left a defiant message written in the blood of his final victim, Willard Tietjen, at the crime scene: “Catch me if you can.”
If tonight’s planned execution goes ahead, it would be the 43rd execution in the United States in 2025, the highest number since the 43 executions recorded in 2012. Three more executions are scheduled for the end of the year.
The majority of executions are carried out by lethal injection
Most executions are carried out by lethal injection, namely 35 cases to date in 2025 in the country. Five methods involved inhaling nitrogen, a method first used in the world by (south) Alabama in 2024 and compared by UN experts to a form of “torture”, and two methods were used using a firing squad in South Carolina, the first time in the United States since 2010.
The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of America’s 50 states. Three other states, California, Oregon and Pennsylvania, have implemented moratoriums on executions based on governors’ decisions.
