Mikal Mahdi, aged 42, opted for death by firing squad and became the second death row inmate in South Carolina to be executed in this manner. Before his execution at Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia, he enjoyed a meal consisting of ribeye steak, mushroom risotto, broccoli, collard greens, and cheesecake, washed down with sweet tea. Mahdi, convicted of the ambush killing of Orangeburg Public Safety Captain James Myers in 2004, did not make a final statement before being shot by trained correctional volunteers.
Hooded and strapped to a chair with a target on his chest, Mahdi was shot three times in the heart by members of the state’s corrections department. Witnesses observed the execution through bulletproof glass, seeing Mahdi groan and take deep breaths before succumbing to his injuries.
His attorney, David Weiss, described the death as a “horrifying act” and stated that Mahdi chose the firing squad as the lesser of the three evils, compared to the electric chair or lethal injection. Mahdi’s execution followed the recent use of the firing squad in South Carolina, with Brad Sigmon being the first in 15 years to face this method of execution.
Despite last-minute appeals for clemency, including arguments about Mahdi’s legal representation and lack of testimonies from those who knew him, both the US and South Carolina Supreme Courts, along with Governor Henry McMaster, denied any intervention.
Since September, executions have been resumed in the state after a 13-year hiatus. Currently, there are twenty-six inmates awaiting execution on death row. – Source: Post wires
