Latest news with #cruelPunishment
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
S.C. inmate's firing squad execution was 'botched,' with bullets mostly missing his heart, lawyers say
Mikal Mahdi was executed on April 11, becoming the second man in South Carolina to be executed by a three-person firing squad this year after admitting to killing an off-duty police officer in 2004. Mahdi's legal team filed a complaint with the South Carolina Supreme Court on Thursday saying that the execution was botched. The filing contained a report from forensic pathologist Dr. Jonathan Arden, who reviewed Mahdi's autopsy and photographs of the gunshot wounds and bullet fragments. The attorneys claim that only two of the bullets struck Mahdi, and that they largely missed his heart in such a way that he suffered long enough to violate constitutional law against cruel and unusual punishment. The South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDOC) commissioned an autopsy that found all three bullets struck Mahdi's heart, and that other statements are "interpretations" of what the examination showed. 'The causes of this botch are unknown,' Mahdi's legal team wrote in their notice. 'Did one member of the execution team miss Mr. Mahdi entirely? Did they not fire at all? How did the two who did shoot Mr. Mahdi miss his heart?' Mahdi's autopsy that was commissioned by the SCDOC, performed by Dr. Marcus Bradley, showed the inmate only had two gunshot wounds, even though three bullets were simultaneously fired, with no exit wounds. Bradley noted that one wound — labeled gunshot wound A — represented the pathway of two gunshots, meaning two bullets entered through the same exact hole. Arden, with a 40-year-career in forensic pathology, called this "extraordinarily uncommon" in his report. He wrote that even if both bullets had the same entrance wound, it would be "larger and more irregular in configuration," than a typical wound of one projectile. The autopsy photograph of Mahdi's wounds showed "two typical gunshot wounds," Arden found. Arden said in his report he spoke with Bradley on April 24, who said he took the photograph of the gunshot wounds to "document the unexpected finding." Bradley "acknowledged that such an occurrence would be 'remote' in his estimation," the report stated. A third doctor, forensic pathologist Dr. Carl Wigren, reviewed the autopsy for NPR, concluding the odds of two bullets entering through the exact same entrance wound were 'pretty miniscule.' The SCDOC noted there were no bullet fragments found in the execution room. Arden compared Mahdi's wounds to Brad Sigmon's, the first South Carolina man to be executed by firing squad in the state on March 7. Sigmon's execution marked the first death by firing squad in the U.S. in the past 15 years. Photographs from Sigmon's autopsy showed three separate entrance wounds, all in the center-left of the chest and visibly higher than Mahdi's wounds. 'The autopsy confirms what I saw and heard,' one of Mahdi's attorneys, David Weiss, said in a statement. 'Mikal suffered an excruciating death. We don't know what went wrong, but nothing about his execution was humane.' South Carolina passed a law in 2021 allowing inmates to choose a third method of execution — firing squad — in addition to lethal injection and electric chair. Inmates challenged the law, but the state Supreme Court affirmed the legality of a firing squad in 2024, on the basis that a person would suffer no longer than 15 seconds before going unconscious, if shot in the heart. Arden testified as an expert in the case. The judges wrote that Arden's testimony established the 15-second period of time during which an inmate would suffer pain, 'unless there is a massive botch of the execution in which each member of the firing squad simply misses the inmate's heart.' At Mahdi's execution, a witness reporter from the Associated Press wrote that Mahdi cried out as the shots hit him, his arms flexed. "He groaned two more times about 45 seconds after that," the report stated. "His breaths continued for about 80 seconds before he appeared to take one final gasp." The SCDOC autopsy said the bullets struck Mahdi's heart in the right ventricle, as well as his diaphragm, left liver lobe and pancreas — all areas of the lower chest and abdomen. But in his report, Arden stated the location of Mahdi's entrance wounds were "on the lowest area of the chest and not obviously overlying the heart," although the location of the target relative to Mahdi's heart cannot be determined. A spokesperson for the SCDOC said a medical professional used a stethoscope to place the target and a chest X-ray was conducted. Witnesses saw the target pushed into the wound in Mahdi's chest. Compared to Sigmond's entrance wounds, which were all in the left-center of his chest, Mahdi's were visibly lower. Arden said Bradley noted he thought the entrance wounds would be higher in the chest and 'did not expect to find such severe damage to the liver.' "Mikhal's heart was left almost completely intact," Weiss told NBC News, indicating that was the cause of in the inmate's prolonged death. "That's not to say that it was missed entirely." "Both the forensic medical evidence and the reported eyewitness observations of the execution corroborate that Mr. Mahdi was alive and reacting longer than was intended or expected," Arden's report concluded. Mahdi's attorneys said in the notice that they felt "obliged" to share the information in Arden's report with the state court. 'The implications are horrifying for anyone facing the same choice as Mikal,' Weiss said in a statement. 'South Carolina's refusal to acknowledge their failures with executions cannot continue.' The South Carolina Department of Corrections confirmed there are 25 people currently on South Carolina's death row. An additional man has been sentenced to death but is on death row in California, as he was sentenced in both states. There are no current execution warrants in the state, but one could come soon, according to the South Carolina Daily Gazette. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
Cop killer dies after ‘botched' firing squad execution; witness in the room reveals how it happened
An inmate put to death last month in South Carolina's second firing squad execution was conscious and likely in extreme pain for up to a minute after the bullets missed their target, attorneys allege. Dr. Jonathan Arden, a forensic pathologist hired by Mikal Mahdi's attorneys, alleged that the execution on April 11 was a "massive botch" after he completed an analysis of the autopsy findings, according to the pathologist's report, which was filed Thursday with a letter to the state Supreme Court. The lawsuit challenges the legal precedent set in Owens v. Stirling—that firing squads are humane if properly carried out—by alleging that Mahdi's execution amounted to "cruel and unusual punishment" in violation of the Eighth Amendment. Mahdi, 42, was convicted in the 2004 killings of an off-duty police officer in Calhoun County, South Carolina, and a convenience store clerk in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He was sentenced to death for the murder of the officer and life in prison for the clerk's murder. Mikal Mahdi, South Carolina Inmate Convicted In Two Seperate 2004 Murders, Executed By Firing Squad Arden's analysis alleged that only two bullets struck Mahdi, both low in the torso and well below the heart, contradicting protocol which requires three shots to the heart for rapid death. Read On The Fox News App "The shooters missed the intended target area and the evidence indicates that he was struck by only two bullets, not the prescribed three. Consequently, the nature of the internal injuries from the gunshot wounds resulted in a more prolonged death process," Arden said. The partial damage to Mahdi's heart allowed continued circulation, leading Arden to determine that Mahdi likely remained conscious for up to 60 seconds after being shot. Witnesses to the execution, according to The AP, heard Mahdi cry out as the shots were fired, groan again some 45 seconds later and let out one last low moan just before he appeared to draw his final breath at 75 seconds. Arden also criticized the autopsy for lacking essential documentation, such as x-rays, clothing examination and adequate photographs. Condemned Sc Man's Case About 'Appropriate Punishment' As He Awaits 'Inhumane' Firing Squad Execution: Lawyer He said that Mahdi's execution failed to meet medical and constitutional standards for a humane death. In contrast, the autopsy on Brad Sigmon, the first man killed by firing squad in the Palmetto State, showed three distinct bullet wounds and his heart was obliterated, Arden said. He added that the autopsy report in that case included X-rays, adequate photos and a cursory examination of his clothes. Prison officials have given no indication that there were problems with Mahdi's execution. A shield law keeps many details private, including the training and methods used by the firing squad. In the official autopsy report, pathologist Dr. Bradley Marcus wrote that the reason there were only two wounds is that one could have been caused by two bullets entering the body at the same spot. Marcus said he spoke to an unnamed prison official who reported that when the three volunteer firing squad members practice, sometimes their targets end up with just one or two holes from three live rounds. Second South Carolina Inmate Chooses Execution By Firing Squad Arden called that virtually unheard of in his 40 years of examining bodies and said Marcus told him in a conversation that the possibility was remote. The autopsy found damage in only one of the four chambers of Mahdi's heart — the right ventricle. There was extensive damage to his liver and pancreas as the bullets continued down. "The entrance wounds were at the lowest area of the chest, just above the border with the abdomen, which is an area not largely overlying the heart," Arden wrote. Mahdi was sentenced to death in 2006 after he admitted to killing off-duty Orangeburg Department of Public Safety Capt. James Myers, 56, on his property on July 18, 2004. Myers had been shot at least eight times and his body was burned when his wife found him in their shed, which was near a gas station where Mahdi attempted to purchase gas with a stolen credit card. He left a vehicle he had carjacked in Columbia at the gas station and was later arrested in Florida while driving Myers' unmarked police truck. Mahdi also admitted to murdering convenience clerk Christopher Boggs three days before he killed Myers. Boggs was shot in the head twice while checking Mahdi's ID, according to The AP. The Associated Press contributed to this article source: Cop killer dies after 'botched' firing squad execution; witness in the room reveals how it happened
Fox News
08-05-2025
- Fox News
Cop killer dies after ‘botched' firing squad execution; witness in the room reveals how it happened
An inmate put to death last month in South Carolina's second firing squad execution was conscious and likely in extreme pain for up to a minute after the bullets missed their target, attorneys allege. Dr. Jonathan Arden, a forensic pathologist hired by Mikal Mahdi's attorneys, alleged that the execution on April 11 was a "massive botch" after he completed an analysis of the autopsy findings, according to the pathologist's report, which was filed Thursday with a letter to the state Supreme Court. The lawsuit challenges the legal precedent set in Owens v. Stirling—that firing squads are humane if properly carried out—by alleging that Mahdi's execution amounted to "cruel and unusual punishment" in violation of the Eighth Amendment. Mahdi, 42, was convicted in the 2004 killings of an off-duty police officer in Calhoun County, South Carolina, and a convenience store clerk in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He was sentenced to death for the murder of the officer and life in prison for the clerk's murder. Arden's analysis alleged that only two bullets struck Mahdi, both low in the torso and well below the heart, contradicting protocol which requires three shots to the heart for rapid death. "The shooters missed the intended target area and the evidence indicates that he was struck by only two bullets, not the prescribed three. Consequently, the nature of the internal injuries from the gunshot wounds resulted in a more prolonged death process," Arden said. The partial damage to Mahdi's heart allowed continued circulation, leading Arden to determine that Mahdi likely remained conscious for up to 60 seconds after being shot. Witnesses to the execution, according to The AP, heard Mahdi cry out as the shots were fired, groan again some 45 seconds later and let out one last low moan just before he appeared to draw his final breath at 75 seconds. Arden also criticized the autopsy for lacking essential documentation, such as x-rays, clothing examination and adequate photographs. He said that Mahdi's execution failed to meet medical and constitutional standards for a humane death. In contrast, the autopsy on Brad Sigmon, the first man killed by firing squad in the Palmetto State, showed three distinct bullet wounds and his heart was obliterated, Arden said. He added that the autopsy report in that case included X-rays, adequate photos and a cursory examination of his clothes. Prison officials have given no indication that there were problems with Mahdi's execution. A shield law keeps many details private, including the training and methods used by the firing squad. In the official autopsy report, pathologist Dr. Bradley Marcus wrote that the reason there were only two wounds is that one could have been caused by two bullets entering the body at the same spot. Marcus said he spoke to an unnamed prison official who reported that when the three volunteer firing squad members practice, sometimes their targets end up with just one or two holes from three live rounds. Arden called that virtually unheard of in his 40 years of examining bodies and said Marcus told him in a conversation that the possibility was remote. The autopsy found damage in only one of the four chambers of Mahdi's heart — the right ventricle. There was extensive damage to his liver and pancreas as the bullets continued down. "The entrance wounds were at the lowest area of the chest, just above the border with the abdomen, which is an area not largely overlying the heart," Arden wrote. Mahdi was sentenced to death in 2006 after he admitted to killing off-duty Orangeburg Department of Public Safety Capt. James Myers, 56, on his property on July 18, 2004. Myers had been shot at least eight times and his body was burned when his wife found him in their shed, which was near a gas station where Mahdi attempted to purchase gas with a stolen credit card. He left a vehicle he had carjacked in Columbia at the gas station and was later arrested in Florida while driving Myers' unmarked police truck. Mahdi also admitted to murdering convenience clerk Christopher Boggs three days before he killed Myers. Boggs was shot in the head twice while checking Mahdi's ID, according to The AP.
