Twenty years after a reign of terror gripped South Carolina’s Sumter County, Stephen Bryant, 44, faced his final judgment. On Friday evening, he was executed by firing squad at Broad River Correctional Institution, a method he himself had chosen. The culmination of a decades-long legal battle, the execution brought a somber close to a case that haunted the region.
Bryant’s eight-day spree in 2004 began with chilling precision. He ambushed 62-year-old Willard ‘TJ’ Tietjen, initially feigning car trouble before brutally ending the man’s life within his own home. The scene that followed was one of calculated chaos – a ransacked house, casually smoked cigarettes, and a chilling message scrawled in the victim’s blood: “victem 4 in 2 weeks. catch me if u can.”
The horror didn’t end there. While still inside Tietjen’s home, Bryant brazenly answered the phone, speaking directly to the victim’s terrified wife and daughter. He coldly identified himself as “the prowler” and delivered the devastating news of Tietjen’s death. Investigators who arrived on the scene described it as among the most disturbing they had ever encountered, the blood-written taunt a particularly cruel provocation.
Beyond the Tietjen murder, Bryant targeted three other men on isolated rural roads. He offered rides, then turned deadly, leaving Cliff Gainey and Christopher Burgess dead at the roadside. A third man, Clinton Brown, miraculously survived the attack. These random acts of violence instilled widespread fear, as authorities struggled to anticipate Bryant’s next move. He was just 23 years old at the time.
Bryant eventually pleaded guilty in 2008, receiving a death sentence for the murder of Tietjen. However, his lawyers mounted a desperate defense in the years that followed, arguing that his troubled past should have spared him execution. They detailed a childhood marred by trauma, alleging his mother’s substance abuse during pregnancy caused lifelong brain damage.
The defense painted a harrowing picture of Bryant’s early life, revealing years of sexual abuse at the hands of multiple male relatives. They argued he was spiraling out of control, desperately seeking help but instead turning to drugs – including methamphetamine and marijuana laced with bug killer – in the months leading up to the murders. His family testified he was visibly tormented, his suffering etched onto his face.
In a final attempt to halt the execution, Bryant’s legal team petitioned the South Carolina Supreme Court for testing for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. The court swiftly rejected the plea, stating that even if the condition was present, it wouldn’t alter his sentence. This decision effectively sealed his fate, and preparations for the firing squad moved forward.
In his final days, Bryant requested a surprisingly extensive last meal. He indulged in a spicy seafood stir-fry, fried fish with rice and egg rolls, stuffed shrimp, two candy bars, and a generous slice of German chocolate cake. It was a final, poignant attempt at normalcy before facing the ultimate consequence.
On the night of the execution, Bryant was secured in a metal chair, a target placed over his heart. He offered no final words, briefly glancing at the ten witnesses before a hood was placed over his head. Three family members of the victims held hands, seeking solace in each other’s presence. The three shooters, positioned fifteen feet away, fired simultaneously.
Bryant became the third inmate this year, and the seventh since last September, to be executed by firing squad in South Carolina. The method, revived after a 13-year pause in executions due to difficulties obtaining lethal injection drugs, has been met with controversy. Concerns arose after a previous execution where the shots failed to immediately kill the inmate, prolonging his suffering.
Reports indicated Bryant took a few shallow breaths and experienced a final spasm a little over a minute after the shots were fired before a doctor pronounced him dead. The revival of the firing squad, championed by some as a quicker and more humane method, continues to spark debate, with lawyers arguing it can inflict agonizing pain and prolonged suffering.
