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2025: The First US Firing Squad Execution in 15 Years – The Case of Brad Sigmon

On March 7, 2025, Brad Sigmon was executed in South Carolina for the 2001 murders of his ex-girlfriend’s parents. His execution was carried out by firing squad—a method that had not been used anywhere in the United States for 15 years.

Here is the full story behind his crime, his time on death row, and his final moments.

The Crime: A Brutal Act of Revenge

Brad Sigmon and Rebecca Barbar had been in a relationship and lived together for three years. In early 2001, Rebecca ended the relationship and moved back in with her parents, David and Gladys Lark. Unable to accept the breakup, an obsessed Sigmon began stalking her, relentlessly insisting that they get back together.

The night before the murders, Sigmon confided in his friend, Eugene Struay, revealing a dark plan to break into the Lark family home, tie up Rebecca’s parents, and force her to talk to him. Though Struay refused to participate, Sigmon proceeded alone.

The next morning, Sigmon broke into the house and brutally attacked David and Gladys Lark with a baseball bat, striking them repeatedly in the head until they died. He then stole David’s gun and waited for Rebecca to return. When she arrived, Sigmon threatened her at gunpoint and forced her into his car, planning to take her to North Carolina.

Fortunately, Rebecca managed to jump out of the moving vehicle and escape. Although Sigmon fired the gun at her as she ran, she survived and was hospitalized. Police immediately launched a massive manhunt. After 11 days on the run, Sigmon was captured in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and extradited back to South Carolina.

The Trial and Sentencing

Brad Sigmon’s trial began on July 18, 2002. The prosecution presented an overwhelming amount of evidence, including the baseball bat used to murder David and Gladys Lark. During a crime scene reconstruction, Detective Mike McNamara timed the distance Sigmon covered inside the house while attacking both victims.

The trial featured several emotional testimonies:

• Cheryl Tomberlin (Sigmon’s ex-wife): Testified about the severe domestic violence she endured during their marriage, establishing his violent history.

• Daryl Lark and Renee Smith (Victims’ relatives): Described the devastating, lifelong impact the double murder had on their family.

That same day, the jury sentenced Sigmon to death. As the verdict was read, his mother, Virginia Woot, broke down in tears, while Rebecca watched in silence. Sigmon looked at his ex-girlfriend one last time before being escorted out of the courtroom.

Why the Firing Squad?

For over two decades, Sigmon filed multiple appeals, all of which were denied. When his execution was finally scheduled for March 7, 2025, he chose the firing squad over lethal injection.

His attorneys argued that this decision was based on deep concerns regarding recent lethal injections involving massive doses of pentobarbital. Reports had indicated that while inmates appeared to lose consciousness within minutes, they were not officially pronounced dead until at least 20 minutes later.

In 2022, South Carolina spent approximately $544,000 to build a firing squad chamber at its execution facility. The setup included:

• Bulletproof glass in the witness room.

• A specialized execution chair equipped with a blood-drainage system.

• A wall designed to completely conceal the shooters.

Witnesses could only see the inmate’s profile, not the individuals pulling the triggers. The firing squad had become a legal alternative after prison officials struggled to obtain lethal injection drugs. Prior to Sigmon, only three people had been executed by firing squad in the US since 1976 (all in Utah, with the last occurring in 2010).

The Final Hours: Last Meal and Execution

The day before he was taken to the death chamber, Sigmon requested his last meal. He initially asked for three buckets of KFC original recipe chicken, intending to share them with his fellow death row inmates.

When that request was denied, he was served a more modest traditional Southern meal:

• Four pieces of fried chicken

• Green beans

• Mashed potatoes with gravy

• Biscuits

• Cheesecake

• Sweet tea

On the evening of March 7, 2025, Sigmon was strapped to the specially designed chair, and a hood was placed over his head. Three prison staff volunteers aimed their rifles at his heart. At the director’s command, they fired live ammunition.

Witnesses reported that the bullets struck Sigmon’s chest right above the heart, causing instantaneous death. “When the shots were fired, it was very loud, very chilling. I think at that moment everyone in the room flinched,” one witness noted, adding that the bullet grouping was so tight they only saw one area of impact. He was officially pronounced dead at 6:08 PM.

Final Words and Aftermath

In his final statement, Sigmon expressed his strong opposition to the death penalty. He quoted four Bible passages, arguing that nowhere in the New Testament does God give man the authority to kill another man.

Through his lawyer, Gerald Bo King, Sigmon left a final message of love, asking his “Christian brothers” to help abolish capital punishment, stating, “Now we are under God’s grace and mercy.” King later condemned the execution, calling it a “bloody spectacle” and stating it was unimaginable for a state to execute a citizen so violently in 2025.

Perhaps the most poignant reaction came from Rebecca Armstrong (formerly Barbar). Giving her first interview in the 24 years since her parents were murdered, she acknowledged that Sigmon’s actions had destroyed her family. However, she revealed that she did not agree with his execution. She stated that he should have spent the rest of his life in prison, adding that death is something only God should decide.