Stephen Bryant, a 44-year-old South Carolina death row inmate who taunted investigators by writing “catch me if u can” in a victim’s blood, has chosen to die by firing squad on Nov. 14.
He was convicted of torturing and killing Willard “TJ” Tietjen in his home. Prosecutors said Bryant also fatally shot two men he was giving a ride to after they stopped to relieve themselves, part of a 2004 killing spree that terrorized Sumter County.
Bryant’s choice to die by firing squad—shot by three volunteers from 15 feet away—could spark a court battle in the coming weeks. Lawyers for the last inmate executed this way, Mikal Mahdi, said the shooters missed his heart, causing prolonged agony. Autopsy photos showed only two bullet wounds despite three shooters, and witnesses reported Mahdi moaned before dying about 80 seconds later, much longer than the first firing squad execution.
Prison officials said the execution went as planned, noting shooters are required only to hit the heart, not destroy it, and that practice sessions often result in two bullets striking the same spot. However, experts for Mahdi’s lawyers disputed this, saying the wound wasn’t jagged enough for two bullets. The firing squad was added during South Carolina’s 13-year execution pause after the state struggled to obtain lethal injection drugs.
Since 1977, only three U.S. inmates—all in Utah, most recently in 2010—have been executed by firing squad. Bryant’s will be South Carolina’s eighth execution since resuming in 2024; the others chose lethal injection. The state also retains the electric chair as an option.
Investigators say Bryant terrorized Sumter County in 2004, killing Willard “TJ” Tietjen after stopping by his rural home claiming car trouble. Tietjen was shot several times, candles were placed around his body, and his daughter’s handmade potholder was used to write “victim 4 in 2 weeks. catch me if u can” in blood on the wall. When his daughter repeatedly called, a man finally answered, saying he had killed her father.
Prosecutors said Bryant also murdered two other men, shooting them in the back after offering rides and stopping on remote roads. His lawyers said he was deeply troubled beforehand, pleading for help over recurring trauma from childhood sexual abuse. They said he turned to meth and drug-laced joints to cope.
This year, 41 men have been executed in the U.S., with at least 18 more scheduled through 2025. Bryant’s death will mark South Carolina’s 50th execution since reinstating the death penalty 40 years ago.
