Lawyers for a South Carolina death row inmate are asking the state Supreme Court to halt his execution, arguing that the judge who sentenced him never considered the extent of his brain damage caused by his mother’s drug and alcohol use during pregnancy.
According to The Associated Press, Stephen Bryant, 44, was sentenced to death for the October 2004 killing of Willard “TJ” Tietjen inside his home. Investigators said Bryant shot Tietjen, burned his eyes with cigarettes, and used the victim’s blood to paint messages on the walls, including “catch me if u can.”
Prosecutors said Bryant also shot and killed two other men during a five-day crime spree in Sumter County.
State attorneys argue the killings were “methodical and cunning,” not impulsive acts driven by brain damage.
Bryant’s lawyers say his defense team failed to present evidence that Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder impaired his ability to follow the law. They submitted a 2024 interview with a psychologist in which Bryant described severe abuse he suffered as a child from relatives, a preacher’s wife, and others.
Prosecutors countered that Bryant’s actions were deliberate, pointing to his planning, the desecration of Tietjen’s body, and taunting calls made to the victim’s family.
“Bryant was methodical, cunning, and took pleasure in deadly rampage including the gratuitous infliction of horror on Mr. Tietjen’s family,” prosecutors wrote.
Bryant is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on November 14 — South Carolina’s third such execution this year.
He may also appeal to the governor for clemency, though no South Carolina governor has granted such a request in the modern era.
Bryant will have a hood placed over his head before being shot by three volunteers standing 15 feet away.
