On March 7, 2025, the state of South Carolina executed Brad Sigmon for murder of Gladys and David Larke. Brad’s execution is the first execution by firing squad in the state of South Carolina. He is also only the 4th person to be executed by firing squad since 1976.
A Statement from Executive Director, Rev. Hillary Taylor:
"By executing Brad Sigmon, South Carolina has also executed the possibility of redemption. Our state is declaring that no matter what you do to make up for your wrongdoing, we reserve the right to kill you. But the question is not whether Brad deserved to die: the question is whether we deserved to kill. In John 8, Jesus had very pointed instructions about which people can kill other people: “Only those without sin can cast the first stone.” The last time I checked, no person on this earth fits that description, not even Governor Henry McMaster, whose hardened heart remains the reason why executions continue in the first place.
Brad, on the other hand, was someone who believed nobody was beyond redemption. With all his heart, he believed we are more than the worst thing we’ve ever done, and more than the worst thing that has ever happened to us. As the oldest person executed in SCDC’s history, Brad was no longer a threat to citizens of our state. He was a person who wanted to share the love of Jesus by any means necessary. He was also a serious scripture reader who knew the Bible better than most pastors. He found hope and meaning in the story of King David: a man who also committed capital crimes but was forgiven by God. Instead of being executed, David was given a second chance to become a better leader and person. In another state, Brad could have been a peacebuilder inside our violent prison system. Instead, his witness languished in a prison within a prison for more than 20 years before ending in secret-ridden, state-sanctioned violence.
As Brad’s spiritual advisor, I can personally attest to the fact that he is a different man today than the person he was more than 20 years ago, when he harmed the Larke family. I can also imagine the anguish-filled journey on which the Larkes have been these last 4 ½ years. Brad wanted nothing more than to repair the harm he caused them. But our prison system does not allow this. Nor does our prison system recognize that those who cause great violence are often the victims of harm and neglect themselves. Brad deserved better care as a young person who experienced abuse and neglect, and as an adult impacted by unaddressed, severe mental illness. We will continue to pray for the Larke family: for their comfort and their peace as they mourn their parents and grandparents. We also pray for the Sigmon family, who also lost a brother, a father, and a grandfather.
Despite national and international media news coverage, most South Carolinians will go to bed tonight unaware that we have executed another person–let alone with a firing squad. That’s how little this issue impacts our citizens. South Carolina should be known by other states and countries for its radical care of its citizens. Instead, we are known for our state-sponsored violence. If executions made us safer, we would be the 9th safest state in the country. But they don’t, and we aren’t. It is not the state leaders who will reap the consequences of the death penalty: it is the everyday South Carolina citizens themselves. As long as we have the death penalty, we will fail to address the true causes of violence, including poverty, abuse, and neglect.
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