South Carolina sets date for 5th execution in under 7 months

South Carolina has scheduled the execution of an inmate convicted of fatally shooting an off-duty constabulary officer, which would marque him the 5th idiosyncratic the authorities enactment to decease since it resumed executions successful the autumn pursuing an involuntary 13-year pause.

Mikal Mahdi, 41, is acceptable to beryllium executed connected April 11 astatine 6 p.m. astatine a situation successful Columbia, the authorities Supreme Court announced Friday.

Mahdi tin take to dice by lethal injection, the electrical seat oregon a firing squad. He indispensable marque a determination by March 28, oregon helium volition beryllium killed by the electrical chair.

On March 7, Brad Sigmon became the archetypal captive executed by firing squad successful the U.S. successful 15 years erstwhile helium was killed successful South Carolina. Only 3 different inmates successful the U.S. person been executed by this method since 1976, and each were successful Utah.

CONVICTED DOUBLE MURDERER EXECUTED BY FIRING SQUAD IN SOUTH CAROLINA

Mikal Mahdi, 41, is acceptable to beryllium executed connected April 11 astatine 6 p.m. astatine a situation successful Columbia. (South Carolina Department of Corrections via AP)

Three different prisoners person been enactment to decease successful South Carolina since the authorities resumed executions successful September. Freddie Owens connected Sept. 20, Richard Moore connected Nov. 1 and Marion Bowman Jr. connected Jan. 31 each died by lethal injection. Sigmon chose the firing squad owed to concerns astir the prolonged suffering the 3 different inmates had faced erstwhile they were killed by lethal injection.

The tribunal postponed a imaginable sixth execution for Steven Bixby, who was convicted successful the sidesplitting of 2 constabulary officers successful an Abbeville County onshore quality successful December 2003. Bixby was acceptable to beryllium enactment to decease successful May, but the tribunal ruled that a justice indispensable archetypal find if helium is mentally competent.

A scientist said Bixby understands what led to his decease sentence, but that helium besides believes humor recovered connected his apparel the nighttime of the killings contains the DNA of Jesus Christ.

Mahdi's attorney, David Weiss, said his lawsuit had a agelong past of troubled behaviour starting arsenic a child.

As aboriginal arsenic the 2nd grade, Mahdi suffered from intelligence despair and discussed self-harm, Weiss said. He already had a transgression grounds by the clip helium was a teenager, spending weeks successful solitary confinement aft being convicted of breaking and entering and attacking a constabulary serviceman successful Virginia.

"He was repeatedly failed by his ain household and the justness system, who neglected to spot him for who helium was: a wounded kid successful request of support," Weiss said successful a statement. "Mikal’s communicative is 1 of trauma, neglect, and the galore missed opportunities for providing him the information and compassion that each kid should have."

Mahdi stole a weapon and a car successful Virginia connected July 14, 2004, erstwhile helium was 21, apprehension records show. The adjacent day, helium changeable and killed a North Carolina store clerk arsenic the clerk was checking his identification. A mates of days later, helium carjacked idiosyncratic astatine an intersection successful Columbia, South Carolina.

On July 18, 2004, portion connected the tally aft those crimes, Mahdi hid successful Orangeburg, South Carolina, nationalist information serviceman James Myers' shed. Mahdi ambushed Meyers erstwhile the serviceman returned from a day solemnisation for his wife, sister and daughter, prosecutors said.

The imaginable sixth execution for Steven Bixby, who was convicted successful the sidesplitting of 2 constabulary officers successful 2003, has been postponed. (South Carolina Department of Corrections via AP)

Myers, 56, was changeable 8 oregon 9 times, including doubly successful the caput aft falling to the ground. A pathologist testified that astatine slightest 7 of the shots would person been fatal.

Mahdi past acceptable Myers' assemblage connected occurrence and ran away. Myers' woman discovered her husband's dormant assemblage successful the shed, which they had utilized for the backdrop of their wedding.

On July 21, 2004, Mahdi was taken into custody successful Florida. When 1 of the officers progressive successful his apprehension learned what helium was wanted for successful South Carolina, helium thanked Mahdi for not shooting astatine him. Mahdi told him that the lone crushed helium did not was due to the fact that helium was skeptical that helium could successfully sprout 2 officers and their K-9 and get distant with it.

While down bars, Mahdi was caught 3 times with tools helium could person utilized to escape. One was an Allen wrench and the others were homemade handcuff keys, including 1 that was recovered nether his lingua astatine his trial.

On decease row, Mahdi stabbed a defender and struck different idiosyncratic with a factual block. On 3 occasions, situation unit recovered sharpened metallic successful his compartment that could beryllium utilized arsenic a knife.

During his trial, Mahdi’s lawyers said their lawsuit was the 2nd lad of a pistillate who was wedded successful an arranged matrimony astatine 16-years-old. His household described a chaotic childhood, though cipher testified astir maltreatment oregon intelligence illness.

Mahdi pleaded blameworthy to execution and was sentenced by Judge Clifton Newman, who astatine the clip told The Post and Courier that helium was not definite helium believed successful the decease penalty, but the lawsuit became bigger than his beliefs.

SOUTH CAROLINA SCHEDULING EXECUTIONS AGAIN AFTER A PAUSE FOR THE HOLIDAYS

This photograph provided by the South Carolina Department of Corrections shows the state's decease enclosure successful Columbia, South Carolina, including the electrical chair, right, and a firing squad chair, left. (South Carolina Department of Corrections via AP)

"My situation and my committedness passim my judicial vocation has been to temper justness with mercy and to question to find the humanity successful each suspect that I sentence," Newman said arsenic helium handed down Mahdi’s punishment. "That consciousness of humanity seems not to beryllium successful Mikal Deen Mahdi"

Once 1 of the busiest for executions, South Carolina resumed executions successful September aft a 13-year intermission caused successful portion by the authorities having trouble obtaining lethal injection drugs owed to pharmaceutical companies' concerns that they would person to disclose they had sold the drugs to authorities officials.

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The authorities legislature past passed a shield instrumentality allowing officials to support lethal injection cause suppliers private. The legislature besides approved the firing squad arsenic different execution method implicit difficulties obtaining the drugs.

South Carolina has executed 47 inmates since the decease punishment was resumed successful the U.S. successful 1976. In the aboriginal 2000s, the authorities was carrying retired an mean of 3 executions per year. Only 9 states person killed much inmates.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.