Latest news with #Mahdi
16-05-2025
South Carolina man convicted of murdering two people gets a June execution date
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- 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. 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. 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." 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. 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.
Hamilton Spectator
16-05-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
South Carolina man convicted of murdering two people gets a June execution date
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — 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.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
South Carolina man convicted of murdering two people gets a June execution date
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — 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.
Winnipeg Free Press
16-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
South Carolina man convicted of murdering two people gets a June execution date
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — 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. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. 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.
Gulf Weekly
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Weekly
All play & no work!
In a time when most children are glued to their screens, it is refreshing to revisit yesteryear games that kept young minds busy for hours. The play not only had entertainment value but also offered scope to think creatively, thus providing endless opportunities to stretch the imagination. GulfWeekly explores some of the games, talking to Bahrain-based artists whose striking creations are immortalising these golden memories. Teela ('marbles') Growing up, these small spheres were a prized possession for many, and safeguarding them was serious business. While many variations of the game exist, a popular style entailed striking a set of marbles in a circle drawn on the ground with a bigger marble. Those with the most displaced marbles won – bagged the loot! 'I remember playing teela and was very good at it,' Saudi graphic designer and resident artist at The Art Station Karim Al Janobi, who has been living in Bahrain for the last 15 years, told GulfWeekly. The 46-year-old Adliya resident's sculptures depicting 'lost' childhood games are currently being exhibited at the venue in Muharraq. The interactive Nostalgia Project employs digital design and 3D printing, where each exhibit has an NFC tag, which, when scanned, displays contextual information and plays authentic audio recordings of children playing at that moment. Dawama ('spinning top') The humble spinning tops provided scope to improve motor skills, hand strength and concentration. Children would wrap a string around the nib-like bottom and then spin it with a force, keeping the top in momentum. 'Dawama is my favourite as it holds so much energy even in stillness. I sculpted it mid-spin, with the fabric of a traditional outfit caught in motion to give it life and momentum,' Karim said. Bahraini artist Mahdi Albannai also has fond memories of the game, which he has brought alive in his bronze sculpture series, which was on display at InterContinental Bahrain during Ramadan. 'Ï had professional friends who were good at the game, we even had our own rules in which the loser would have his spinner broken by the winner, and he would break it with his own spinner,' the 62-year-old noted, adding that the sculptures represent his years growing up in Ras Rumman. Fallatiya ('slingshot') The mechanism of this game was simple, with a rubber band tied to a twig, stretched far back to launch a stone that was aimed at one's target. 'My friends would aim at birds, but I personally did not like to do that because it was too violent and would ask them, 'how about we shoot at geckos instead',' Mahdi revealed. Both artists believe that screen time has encroached upon childhood and, through their sculptures, hope to revive play as a form of entertainment among young minds. 'I was inspired to bring alive my own memories as well as introduce it to the younger generations that did not grow up with these games that we played,' Mahdi said. For his part, Karim realised how many traditional childhood games have quietly disappeared. 'I wanted to not just document them, but bring them back to life in a form that could be touched, heard, and experienced.' Dharoj ('roller') Hoop rolling or trundling encompasses rolling a large hoop along the ground using an object wielded by the player. 'I have fond memories of playing Dharoi (Dharoj in a different dialect) using an old bicycle wheel. We used to make toys out of whatever we could find, fabric scraps, buttons, sticks. There was so much creativity and joy in that simplicity,' Karim reminisced. To give his pieces a realistic look, the self-taught artist spent time with a local tailor where he learned how fabrics behave and he recreated the patterns digitally. Karim widened his research by speaking to his parents and other community elders to shortlist the games for his sculptures. 'Nowadays the kids are mostly glued to their phones, and would be making friends with people from all over the world, while all we had was our neighbours to play with and we relied more on items around us that we were able to turn into games,' Mahdi said. To learn about more traditional games and their sculptures, follow @karimaljanobi and @mahdialbannai on Instagram.
