Second execution by firing squad in South Carolina

According to USA Today, Michael, a 42-year-old American prisoner, was executed by a firing squad on Saturday local time in the state of South Carolina.

Five states, South Carolina, Mississippi, Utah, Oklahoma, and Idaho, use the firing squad method for executions.

The execution of Michael was the fifth execution carried out in the United States since 1977.

Michael’s attorneys argued that he suffered significant trauma and abuse as a child. They claimed he endured years of physical and emotional abuse, attempted suicide at age 8, and was diagnosed with major depressive disorder at age 9.

His father, who suffered from mental illness and embraced conspiracy theories, pulled him out of school at age 11 for paranoid, survivalist homeschooling. Michael entered the juvenile justice system as a teenager and spent an estimated 8,000 hours in solitary confinement between ages 14 and 21, which his lawyers said severely damaged his mental health. They argued he never received the mental health care he desperately needed.

Michael’s attorneys contended that his trial was unfair. They criticized his original defense team for spending less than 30 minutes arguing against the death penalty during his sentencing hearing, calling it superficial and inadequate.

They also noted that the judge who sentenced him knew little about his traumatic background, which could have influenced a lighter sentence. Despite these arguments, the South Carolina Supreme Court unanimously declined to spare his life on Monday, April 7, 2025, allowing the execution to proceed.

Michael's execution was the twelfth execution carried out in the United States in 2025 and the third in the state of South Carolina.

Last Wednesday, Michael Tansi was also executed by lethal injection in the state of Florida, USA.

Two other executions are scheduled for April: one on April 23 in the state of Texas and the other on April 24 in the state of Alabama. Both of these executions will be carried out by lethal injection.

According to plans, the death sentences of 25 people will be carried out in the United States in 2025; however, it is expected that the number of executed death sentences will increase.