Crime & Courts

South Carolina's death penalty resurfaces: 6 stories on justice, trauma

Stories by The State journalists, with AI summarization

South Carolina's death penalty discussions hover around justice and trauma, as reports highlight different facets of the capital punishment system. A recurring theme across the articles is the impact and challenges surrounding execution protocols in the state. Several cases demonstrate the turbulence of South Carolina's death penalty. One article recounts the posthumous exoneration of death row inmates like Warren Manning, shedding light on the miscarriage of justice. Meanwhile, perspectives from former legal professionals discuss alternatives to execution methods, such as the firing squad, introduced after challenges in acquiring lethal injection drugs.

Reporters shed light on the psychological toll experienced by executioners. These individuals describe internal conflicts and trauma, emphasizing the moral implications of their roles. Some executioners, like Craig Baxley, reveal the profound personal struggle after participating in executions, leading to distress and long-term mental health issues. The series of stories regarding execution secrecy and its history have stirred responses from lawmakers and the public. Such reactions include queries into the execution process and a broader discourse on humane methods for administering capital punishment. These discussions often question the balance between meting out justice and minimizing suffering.

Read the articles below

Between 1985 and 2011, Craig Baxley, Jim Harvey and Jon Ozmint performed different roles related to the task of carrying out executions in South Carolina for the Department of Corrections.

NO. 1: THEY EXECUTED PEOPLE FOR THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA. FOR SOME, IT NEARLY DESTROYED THEM.

Many of those who helped execute people in South Carolina prisons have never spoken publicly – until now. The closer the 10 men we spoke with were to the act of killing, the more serious the long-term consequences. | Published November 4, 2021 | Read Full Story by Chiara Eisner

This is Secrets of the Death Chamber

NO. 2: FROM HANGING PIRATES TO FIRING SQUADS, PICTURES REVEAL 303-YEAR HISTORY OF SC EXECUTIONS

We uncovered a handwritten execution book dated back to 1912, a photo of “the switchman” for the electric chair and never-before-seen logs from death row in 2021. Viewer discretion is advised. | Published November 4, 2021 | Read Full Story by Chiara Eisner

The Secrets of the Death Chamber series covered the executioners’ toll, the history of SC executions, and current secrecy at SC Department of Corrections.

NO. 3: WE COVERED THE EXECUTIONERS’ TOLL AND EXPOSED SC EXECUTION SECRECY. THE IMPACT WAS IMMEDIATE

The State’s reporting on executions was widely read and has already started to have an impact on death penalty legislation nationwide. Here’s how readers and lawmakers reacted to Secrets of the Death Chamber. | Published December 12, 2021 | Read Full Story by Chiara Eisner

The South Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday, October 19, 2022. By Joshua Boucher

NO. 4: DON’T OVERLOOK THIS MIDLANDS FAMILY OF JUDGES WHEN DISCUSSING THE DEATH PENALTY IN SOUTH CAROLINA | OPINION

Father-daughter duo Clifton and Jocelyn Newman are well-respected Circuit Court judges whose service has put them front and center in a complex debate. | Published August 1, 2024 | Read Full Story by Matthew T. Hall

This undated photo provided on Thursday, July 11, 2019, by the South Carolina Department of Corrections shows the new death row at Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia, S.C. South Carolina prisons chief moved death row for the second time in two years, this time trying to answer concerns over inmate treatment from a federal lawsuit. (South Carolina Department of Corrections via AP)

NO. 5: DOZENS HAVE BEEN EXECUTED IN SC SINCE 1976. HERE’S HOW MANY HAVE GOTTEN OFF DEATH ROW

South Carolina on Friday is scheduled to hold the first execution in the state since 2011. | Published September 18, 2024 | Read Full Story by Jordan Lawrence

A hearse carries the body of killer Pee Wee Gaskins from the Broad River Correctional Institution after Gaskins was executed in the state’s electric chair. By Jamie Francis

NO. 6: I PROPOSED SOUTH CAROLINA USE FIRING SQUAD EXECUTIONS. HERE’S WHAT I THINK NOW. | OPINION

Former state Sen. Dick Harpootlian suggested the idea of letting death row inmates choose to die by firing squad in 2021. With the first prisoner set to be executed by one, he shares his thinking now. | Published March 5, 2025 | Read Full Story by Dick Harpootlian

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.