Posted on 06/13/2021 11:51:09 AM PDT by buckalfa
COLUMBIA, S.C. (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE) – The U.S. District Court of South Carolina denied Friday an injunction filed by two death row inmates scheduled for execution starting next week.
Death row inmates Brad Sigmon and Freddie Owens asked the court to find the electric chair to be declared cruel and unusual punishment violating the 8th amendment to the U.S. constitution.
The case stems from Governor McMaster adding firing squad to the state’s execution methods except the firing squad is yet to be created and lethal injection is arguably unavailable. So Sigmon and Owens are set to die by the only method available, electrocution, on June 18th and 25th respectively.
Justice Harwell wrote a detailed 12 page decision citing to all the cases relied upon by the plaintiffs as well as defendants, Governor McMaster and Bryan Stirling the director of corrections.
The judge starts the discussion with a blow to the inmates – saying “legal precedent and the weight of legal authority are against them.”
The judge goes on to say the plaintiffs can’t survive over 100 years of precedent that says electrocution is not cruel and unusual punishment, plaintiffs haven’t demonstrated that lethal injection is substantially less painful than electrocution and plaintiffs have not shown lethal drugs are even available.
This decision was filled with strong language with no room for interpretation. So in one week from today South Carolina is set to witness its first death row execution in a decade.
Several years ago I was speaking to law enforcement officials in South Carolina who were very supportive of criminal execution. They were generally not supportive of shooting as a means of death.
The reasons they listed is that it’s quite a task to keep the inmate still so missing the shot was not uncommon. Secondly, those who did the shooting were frequently suffers of PTSD.
I think there has been a lot of turmoil regarding methods of execution because there were frequent enough misses, no matter the method. If you have to attempt several executions on one individual, it does begin to border on cruel and unusual punishment.
Execution day is not a happy day for anyone. It’s horribly sad that those among us would commit such horrendous crimes against their fellow countrymen that it warrants such drastic measures to put a permenent stop to protect society.
But it’s also cruel and unusual punishment against those who are survivorss of those crimes, who have experienced the ugly process of time and emotional rollercoasters of apprehension of the killer(s), the court system, reciept of a verdict of execution and then the lengthy wait as the offender pursues his right to appeal only to find a moratorium against criminal executions. It’s unjust when spouses, children, parents have to wait to long that natural death comes upon them that they never see justice served.
Brad and Freddie are apparently going to fry next week! I guess they won’t be murdering anyone else. A great deterrent!
“...plaintiffs haven’t demonstrated that lethal injection is substantially less painful than electrocution...”
So electrocute them, then give them lethal injections, and ask them which was more painful.
They should just use a couple hundred milligrams of Fentanyl that has been seized. Certify the purity and send the cretin out like a craze junkie.
Owens, 43, was first sentenced to death in 1999 for the Halloween, 1997 murder of Irene Graves, a convenience store clerk. Owens had shot the woman in the head amidst a robbery because she couldn't open the store's safe. He has been sentenced to death three times, reports the publication. His execution is scheduled for June 25.
Maybe the Electric Chair is cruel and unusual punishment. Too bad.
Nicotine Sulfate (Black Leaf 40) works wonders on horses when they have to be put down. I saw an injection and within six seconds the horse hit the ground dead.
Tell the convict it is just morphine to calm him down.
I can’t understand how no drugs are available for putting them down painlessly. Give them the same stuff as used for hundreds (probably thousands) of colonoscopies every day; once they are in la-la land, have them breathe pure carbon monoxide until dead. They’ll die quickly with zero pain, with no spectacle, and the ingredients are cheap and readily available.
Whether such an easy death is Just is a philosophical question beyond our weak and corrupt society to face. I prefer that the condemned face death fully conscious so they can fully consider the consequences of their crimes.
Very well said. I agree with your post.
All the more reason for a skilled hangman using a drop table.
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