The old days are new again in South Carolina, as a man convicted of a double murder became the first U.S. death row inmate to be executed by firing squad in 15 years.
Sigmon, who was convicted and sentenced to death in 2002 for the murders of David and Gladys Larke (his ex-girlfriend's parents), used his final statement to misinterpret the Bible and claim that the New Testament prohibited the death penalty.
From The New York Post:
For his last words, Sigmon cited four Bible quotes that he said revealed that "nowhere does God in the New Testament give man the authority to kill another man" before he was put to death.
'I want my closing statement to be one of love and a calling to my fellow Christians to help us end the death penalty,' he said in a statement, which his attorney read aloud.
'An eye for an eye was used as justification to the jury for seeking the death penalty. At that time, I was too ignorant to know how wrong that was. Why? Because we no longer live under the Old Testament law but now live under the New Testament.'
Despite choosing the firing squad himself, Sigmon later regretted his decision:
Sigmon has since claimed he was forced to choose his violent death, arguing he wasn't given information about the lethal injection method when he decided how to end his life.
South Carolina law requires death row inmates to select their own method of execution — lethal injection, electric chair, or firing squad. If no choice is made, the default option is the electric chair.
In the end, a man who viciously ended the lives of two innocent people had his life ended.
Justice was served.
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