South Carolina man convicted of murdering two people gets a June execution date
A South Carolina man who was twice sentenced to die for killing two people nearly two decades ago was scheduled Friday to be executed on June 13.
The state Supreme Court issued the death warrant against Stephen Stanko for the Horry County shooting death of a friend. Stanko is also on death row for killing a women he was living with in Georgetown County and raping her teenage daughter.
Stanko is the first person whose death has been scheduled in South Carolina's since Mikal Mahdi was executed by firing squad on April 11. Mahdi's lawyers released autopsy results that show the shots that killed him barely hit his heart and suggested he was in agonizing pain for three or four times longer than experts say he would have been if his heart had been hit directly.
Stanko will get to decide if he dies by firing squad, lethal injection or the electric chair. The deadline for his decision is May 30.
The crimes
Stanko, 57, is being executed for killing his 74-year-old friend Henry Turner. Stanko went to Turner's home in April 2006 after lying about his father dying and then shot Turner twice while using a pillow as a silencer, authorities said.
Stanko stole Turner's truck, cleaned out his bank account and then spent the next few days in Augusta, Georgia, where he told people in town for the Masters golf tournament that he owned several Hooters restaurants. He stayed with a woman who took him to church. She then called police once she saw his photo and that he was wanted for murder, police said.
Hours before killing Turner, Stanko beat and strangled his girlfriend in her home and raped her daughter before slashing the teen's throat. The daughter survived and testified against him at one of his trials.
Greg Hembree, who prosecuted one of the trials, later became a state senator and was the chief sponsor of the 2021 law that allowed South Carolina to use a firing squad.
His own lawyer called him a 'psychopath'
Stanko admitted to the killings. His defense said he had problems with the frontal lobe of his brain that left him aggressive, unable to control his impulses and without empathy. They argued that he was either not guilty by reason of insanity or that he at least shouldn't get the death penalty because of his mental illness.
In his appeals, Stanko said his trial attorney ruined his chance at a fair trial and lost any sympathy with jurors by calling him a 'psychopath."
Firing squad problems
Any final appeals by Stanko in the weeks before his execution will likely include the problems Mahdi's lawyers raised after his firing squad death.
The only photo of Mahdi taken at his autopsy shows two apparent chest wounds. Officials said all three bullets fired by the three volunteer prison employees hit Mahdi, with two going through the same hole.
During the state's first firing squad death, the autopsy found that Brad Sigmon's heart had been destroyed. Just one of the four chambers of Mahdi's heart was perforated, which likely meant he didn't die in the 15 seconds experts predicted he would have if the squad's aim was true, according to his lawyers.
Witnesses said Mahdi, who had a hood over his head, groaned 45 seconds after he was shot.
South Carolina's busy death chamber
Stanko will be the sixth inmate killed in South Carolina since an unintended 13-year pause on executions ended in September 2024.
The state struggled for years to get the drugs needed for lethal injections until it passed a shield law that allowed the execution procedures, and the names of the drug supplier and execution team members, to remain secret.
Three South Carolina inmates have died by lethal injection over the past eight months, while two have chosen the firing squad.
Across the U.S., 16 executions have taken place in 2025, with at least six more scheduled before Stanko is set to die.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
31 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Patsy Kensit reveals pals were banned from visiting her childhood home due to regular police raids as she opens up about profound impact of her 'villain' father's criminal career and association with gangsters the Krays
Patsy Kensit has always been open about her late father James' criminal career past. He was involved with notorious gangsters of the 1960s in London, including the Krays and the Richardsons, and had a total of nine convictions for theft. However, the actress, 57, has now revealed his actions had a profound impact on her growing up: 'I was never allowed to have play dates because the police could have turned the house over at any minute, but you just dealt with it'. 'It wasn't normal, but they were my family and I loved them. My father - God rest his soul - he was a rapscallion, but I adored him. Patsy's father James who passed away in 1987 was a pickpocket known as Jimmy the Dip and became friends with the Krays after they met as teenagers in an East End boxing club. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. He was involved with notorious gangsters of the 1960s in London, including the Krays and the Richardsons, and had a total of nine convictions for theft (pictured with Patsy's mum Margaret) 'My dad was a villain. My father was in and out of prison throughout my whole life. When I was about ten, he went away for a little bit, and helping Her Majesty with her enquires my mother would say to us, but he was my Dad, and I loved him desperately. I was a little girl, and a lot of it, I was quite protected from.' Ronnie and Reggie Kray ruled the East End with a ruthless regime of murder, armed robbery, arson, protection rackets and beatings before their incarcerations in 1968. Ronnie died in 1995 aged 61, followed five years later by Reggie aged 66. The mother-of-two, who amid the chaos found fame as a child actress, once claimed that Reggie Kray would write her letters from prison, and was godfather to her brother, Jamie. Discussing her unconventional upbringing in a past interview with Michael Parkinson, the thespian continued, 'It was odd growing up, because I've got two beautiful sons, and their life is so different to mine'. 'I was competing for work at a young age, and dealing with rejection, and I'm glad - I wouldn't be here today, and I'm so grateful for that. I couldn't imagine my sons doing that.' Patsy first gained attention as a tot in adverts for Birds Eye frozen peas, before going on to star in 1974's The Great Gatsby with Mia Farrow and 1976's The Blue Bird with Elizabeth Taylor. In 2013 she told The Mirror how mum Margaret, who died in 1993, protected the actress and brother James from their father's shady dealings. 'Mum did everything she could to keep that side of things hidden from us, she must have loved my dad a great deal to turn a blind eye to his villainy.' She went on to recall how her father went on the run and the family fled to Paris and then the Caribbean, before returning to London where he was arrested. 'Having to flee our home like that could have been pretty traumatising for a child, but it didn't scar me, To be honest, I found it all very exciting'. 'I couldn't understand why mum looked so sad the entire time we were away. Now, of course, I know it was because dad was on the run'. Meanwhile she wrote in her memoir Absolute Beginner: 'We only ever got glimpses [of her father's criminal activities]' 'His associates used to come over and go into the sitting room, where Dad would draw the curtains. Jamie and I would have to leave, but we could hear them doing the count-up from outside the door'. She continued: 'Sometimes I'd accompany Dad to meetings with his associates at West End hotels, which I loved because all the posh hotels had swimming pools. I'd go for a swim while he chatted to his mates'. During her 2008 appearance on BBC's Who Do You Think You Are Patsy learned more about her father's past. James' criminal record revealed he was arrested for the first time aged 19, and was later charged with being an 'incorrigible rogue', a specific offence under the Vagrancy Act. Patsy said: 'I loved my father but hearing this saddens me.' Of more specific details in the programme, she confessed: 'I couldn't sleep because I was so traumatised by everything that we found. I became very protective of my father - not because I condone what he did, but because he's my dad and I love him' Although he was recruited directly to work in fraud by Charlie Richardson, Patsy was relieved to discover her father had not been directly responsible for any of their legendary beatings. However, Army records revealed her grandfather, another James, also earned a lengthy criminal record. A gunner in the First World War, he had to forfeit his medal after being sentenced to three years' penal servitude for bringing the Army into disrepute. His nine convictions dating from 1915 include robbery and using counterfeit coins.
Daily Mail
43 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
My daughter Lauren Patterson was raped and murdered in Qatar - she had wanted to leave the country and we still don't know what has happened to her killer
The mother of a woman who was murdered in Qatar still has no idea whether her killer has been released more than a decade on from the tragedy. Lauren Patterson was teaching at a primary school in the Qatari capital Doha when she went missing after going to a party in October 2013. Her body was found in the desert after she was raped and murdered by Badr Hashim Khamis Abdallah al-Jabr in a brutal attack. Lauren's family were told he would face a death sentence after being jailed for the 'heinous and shocking' attack in 2014. But in May 2018, the decision was overturned and he was instead given only ten-and-a-half years in jail, while Lauren's family were offered just £200,000 compensation. More than seven years on, Lauren's mother Alison, 60, is clueless as to what has happened to her daughter's killer - most crucially, if he has been freed. The loving mother, who lives in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, has tried for years to find answers from Qatar's authorities, but has been blocked at every turn and was even accused of plotting to kill al-Jabr. This wall of silence has left Alison unable to move on from Lauren's death, while the situation has also been a burden on the 24-year-old's friends still living in Qatar and fearing they could bump into al-Jabr at any moment. 'We have written personally to the Emir but never had a reply. We gave letters to the Qatari embassy but heard nothing,' Alison told The Sun. 'You don't move on, but you're putting a line under one part of it, you're coming to terms with he's out.' She has asked the Foreign Office and the Qatari Government to tell her whether al-Jabr is still behind bars but has been met with a 'stonewall of silence'. Alison was even accused of plotting to kill al-Jabr after she received a text message from her lawyers in Doha, saying: 'Good morning, we were accused to set up a trap to kill him when will be released.' The outlandish suggestion is rendered the more ridiculous, as she said she did not want him to face the death penalty when he was convicted of Lauren's murder. But she was later horrified when the charge was dropped to manslaughter and al-Jabr was sentenced to just ten-and-a-half years in jail for killing her and burning her body before hiding in the desert outside Doha. She and her husband Kevin, 62, believe he was released in the months leading up to the 10th anniversary of his crime and is enjoying his freedom. The couple fear he could easily run into Lauren's friends who still live in the capital - or worse, he could kill again. In the months before her death, Lauren had been thinking about moving jobs to another country as she had become 'uncomfortable' living in Qatar. 'She was feeling a little bit apprehensive, there were things she wasn't comfortable with. The school was good, she really enjoyed that. It was other things,' Alison said. When Alison's mother became seriously ill, Lauren had sought to leave the country to visit her, but was denied permission to leave by Qatari authorities. Sadly, the young teacher missed the opportunity to say goodbye and was eventually granted leave to attend her funeral. She flew back to Qatar the day after on October 11 and immediately after arriving back in her flat, her friend suggested they go out for a few drinks. Lauren barely had time to unpack her suitcase and planned to do so the next day. Tragically, she would never get the chance, as later that night she was abducted by al-Jabr and his accomplice, Muhammad Abdullah Hassan Abdul Aziz. The pair had offered to drive Lauren and her friend home after they were unable to find a taxi. The two women were on friendly terms with them both and had no idea of their vile intentions. Lauren's friend was dropped off at her home first, despite living further away than her. Lauren was raped, stabbed multiple times then taken out into the desert where she was burnt beyond recognition. Alison began to worry when she nor Lauren's friends had heard from her. They began a desperate search for the 24-year-old, which sickeningly al-Jabr also joined in with. Her body was eventually found when two falconers noticed something odd when their birds failed to return to them in the desert miles outside Doha. They went to investigate and found Lauren's burned remains with a knife still in her body. Her killer and his accomplice used petrol to set her on fire before fleeing back to the city believing their crime would never be discovered. Al-Jabr was already a suspect - he was the last person to see Lauren alive and had scratches on his face. But Qatar police believed in the adage that a killer always returns to the scene of his crime and staked out the desert spot where Lauren was found. Jabr and his Rayban-wearing accomplice Mohamed Abdallah Hassan Abdul Aziz were arrested when they drove out to the desert to check on their gruesome handiwork. While she may never get any answers, Alison is adamant to shine a light on what she believes to be an example of Qatar's shameful human rights record. She made headlines in 2022 after criticising former England soccer captain David Beckham who was paid tens of millions to back the World Cup in Qatar. Then she wrote to every footballer in the squad along with manager Gareth Southgate asking them to highlight Lauren's death by making an L-shape with their hands on the pitch. She did not receive a reply. But she and Kevin, who live near Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, remain unrelating in the quest for justice for Lauren no matter how long it takes.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
'Devil in the Ozarks' captured by police after murderous police chief escaped jail using a disguise
A tense, two-week manhunt ended in the dense Arkansas woods on Friday afternoon as authorities captured Grant Hardin, a convicted murderer and rapist whose notoriety led to a TV documentary, 'Devil in the Ozarks.' Hardin's escape from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock had terrified communities and sparked a massive multi-agency dragnet. The Arkansas Department of Corrections confirmed Hardin's capture roughly a mile from where his brazen breakout began on May 25. Officials say Hardin, a former police chief turned violent felon, managed to evade authorities for 13 days before being tracked down and apprehended near the rugged terrain he likely thought would be his shield. Hardin briefly attempted to run from officers when he saw them approach, but he was quickly tackled to the ground, said Rand Champion, a spokesperson for the Arkansas prison system. 'He'd been on the run for a week and a half and probably didn´t have any energy left in him,' he added. The escape of Hardin, once tasked with upholding the law as the police chief of the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, had left Arkansans on edge. After slipping free from the high-security facility at 2:25pm on a Saturday afternoon, the 60-year-old fugitive disappeared into the wilderness, igniting a search that stretched across local, state, and federal agencies. 'I'm so proud of our Department staff and all the local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies for being steadfast as they always are,' said Benny Magness, Chairman of the Arkansas Board of Corrections. 'They sacrificed everything to make sure Hardin was captured and the community could finally feel safe again.' For nearly two weeks, armed officers combed miles of forest and rocky terrain, backed by helicopters, drones, and K-9 units, in a desperate bid to catch a man many feared had nothing left to lose. 'Thanks to the great work of local, state, and federal law enforcement, Arkansans can breathe a sigh of relief,' Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said after news of Hardin's capture broke. 'I'm grateful to every officer who contributed and give special thanks to the Trump administration and Secretary Kristi Noem, who sent a specialized Border Patrol team that was instrumental in tracking and apprehending Hardin.' That specialized unit, part of the elite U.S. Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC), was credited with key assistance in pinning down Hardin's location - a patch of rugged woods near Calico Rock. Hardin's fall from law enforcement officer to convicted killer is as stunning as it is chilling. Once sworn to protect and serve, Hardin is now best known for the brutal slaying that sent him to prison in 2017. He was convicted of first-degree murder and later found guilty of rape, stacking a 30-year sentence on top of his already damning record. His escape only amplified public concern. Hardin, already classified as a violent offender, vanished with a ruthlessness that alarmed even seasoned law enforcement officers. 'I'm incredibly appreciative to all of our dedicated law enforcement agencies that spent countless hours, both day and night, sacrificing their time, utilizing their resources, and lending their invaluable expertise to this search,' said Secretary of Corrections Lindsay Wallace. 'To every Department staff member who assisted in this manhunt, I offer my heartfelt thanks.' The capture itself unfolded without bloodshed. Officials said Hardin was found deep in the brush, his body had been battered by the elements but he was alive. It is the final chapter to a manhunt that had gripped the state and left many communities living in fear. 'They got him about a mile from the prison, in the woods,' Magness confirmed. For residents near Calico Rock and Mountain View, news of Hardin's capture ended days of lockdowns, sleepless nights, and constant fear. Many had been warned to lock their doors, keep watch, and stay alert for a man authorities described as extremely dangerous. Law enforcement leaders stressed the dangers of the operation - a manhunt over rough terrain under a blistering summer sun, with officers working around the clock, often with little sleep and under the constant threat that Hardin could lash out at any moment. Hardin has been returned to the custody of the Arkansas Department of Corrections, where he faces not just his previous sentences but new charges stemming from his escape By Friday evening, a palpable sense of relief had settled over Stone County. Local officials thanked the law enforcement officers who had flooded their communities and praised the cooperation between agencies that many say was essential to ending the manhunt safely. The Arkansas Department of Corrections has not yet released details on how Hardin managed to escape in the first place but an investigation that is sure to follow in the days ahead. Hardin had been housed in a maximum-security wing of the primarily medium security prison, formally known as the North Central Unit. Officials are investigating whether a job Hardin held in the kitchen helped in his escape, including whether it gave him access to materials he could have used to fashion his makeshift uniform. In order to escape, he had impersonated a corrections officer 'in dress and manner,' according to a court document. A prison officer in one of the guard towers opened a secure gate, allowing him to simply walk out of the facility. Rand Champion said that someone should have checked Hardin's identity before he was allowed to leave, describing the lack of verification as a 'lapse' that's being investigated. Hardin has now been returned to the custody of the Arkansas Department of Corrections, where he faces not just his previous sentences but new charges stemming from his escape. Hardin pleaded guilty in 2017 to first-degree murder for the killing of James Appleton, 59. Appleton worked for the Gateway water department when he was shot in the head February 23, 2017, near Garfield. Police found Appleton's body inside a car. Hardin was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Hardin´s DNA was also matched to the 1997 rape of a teacher at an elementary school in Rogers, north of Fayetteville. He was sentenced to 50 years for that crime. Cheryl Tillman, Appleton's sister said that Hardin's capture was a 'big sigh of relief' for her whole family. 'We don't have to walk around, turning around all the time, thinking somebody´s on our back,' Tillman said, emphasizing her appreciation for the officers who helped capture Hardin.
