Columbia, S.C. – A South Carolina death row inmate, Mikal Mahdi, has opted for execution by firing squad, his attorney confirmed, making him the second person in the state to choose this method after its recent reintroduction. Mahdi, 41, faced a choice between lethal injection, the electric chair, or the firing squad for his scheduled execution on April 11.
Mahdi was convicted of the 2004 murder of a local police officer, James Myers, in an ambush at Myers’ personal shed in Calhoun County. According to court records, Mahdi pled guilty to the crime, which occurred shortly after Myers had celebrated a family birthday. The officer’s wife discovered his charred remains, having been shot multiple times.
For his execution, Mahdi will be positioned 15 feet away from three volunteer prison employees on the firing squad. A target will be fixed to his chest, and each member will have a rifle loaded with ammunition designed to ensure instantaneous lethality.
David Weiss, an assistant federal public defender with the Capital Habeas Unit for the Fourth Circuit and one of Mahdi’s lawyers, expressed his client’s difficult decision. “Faced with barbaric and inhumane choices, Mikal Mahdi has opted for what he perceives as the lesser of three evils,” Weiss stated, emphasizing the brutality of each execution method offered.
Mahdi’s decision follows the state’s execution of Brad Sigmon by firing squad on March 7, marking the first use of this method in recent decades. As executions by firing squad are rare in the United States, Mahdi’s case has drawn significant attention. Prior to Sigmon, the method had not been used in the U.S. since 2010, and only three inmates had faced it in Utah over the past 50 years.
Mahdi’s legal team has approached the state’s highest court with a final appeal, questioning the adequacy of his original trial, which they claim lasted no more than 30 minutes with insufficient defense efforts. “This trial did not even span the length of a typical television law drama, and was just as superficial,” they argued.
The aggravating factors of Mahdi’s life and psychological condition have also been spotlighted by his attorneys. They argue that his extensive time spent in solitary confinement as a juvenile significantly impacted his psychological development and behavior. Despite presenting evidence of this during a 2011 appeal, which included a heightened security hearing due to Mahdi’s violent actions while incarcerated, his appeal was denied.
State prosecutors have countered these claims, pointing to Mahdi’s history of violence, including multiple attacks on prison staff and connections to other murders. They maintain that the full scope of Mahdi’s criminal activities justifies the sentence.
As the date of execution approaches, Mahdi has one final recourse: a request for clemency from Gov. Henry McMaster, a plea to commute his sentence to life without parole. However, given historical precedents, clemency is a slim hope; no South Carolina governor has granted clemency in the 47 executions carried out in the state since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
This case comes amid a broader national debate on the application and methods of the death penalty, highlighting significant ethical, legal, and humanitarian issues. As South Carolina continues with its schedule of capital punishments, the discussion is expected to intensify, considering the historical rarity and controversial nature of firing squad executions.