Shocking details from autopsy: Firing squad's flawed process in condemned inmate's execution
Rewritten Article:
In a botched execution by firing squad, Mikal Mahdi, a South Carolina cop killer, endured a prolonged, excruciating death, his attorneys claim.
The 42-year-old was executed last month for murdering an off-duty police officer in 2004. Mahdi's attorneys revealed he had chosen death by firing squad over lethal injection or electrocution, believing it was the quickest and least painful method. However, an independent autopsy indicates the execution didn't go as planned.
According to documents filed in the Supreme Court, Mahdi's attorneys say the three marksmen fired below the target, missing his heart and hitting his liver and pancreas instead. The shooting caused Mahdi to cry out in pain as the bullets were fired, and he continued breathing and groaning for at least a minute after. He wasn't officially pronounced dead for four minutes.
David Weiss, an attorney for Mahdi, said, "Mikal suffered an excruciating death. We don't know what went wrong, but nothing about his execution was humane." Weiss added, " South Carolina's refusal to acknowledge their failures with executions cannot continue."
During the shooting, Mahdi had a hood over his head and cried out as the three bullets to the heart hit him. He reportedly groaned about 45 seconds afterward and took his final breath around 80 seconds later.
The autopsy conducted by his lawyers showed only two distinct bullet wounds in Mahdi's torso despite the presence of three gunmen. His legal team believes the execution was flawed due to the marksmen missing their target or the target not being properly placed over Mahdi's chest.
The Corrections Department, on the other hand, argued that all three bullets struck Mahdi, with two entering the same spot and following the same path. However, Dr. Jonathan Arden, the pathologist hired by Mahdi's legal team, claimed that this didn't accurately represent the evidence and that Mahdi likely endured pain for an extended period beyond the predicted 10-15 seconds.
In their letter to the South Carolina Supreme Court, Mahdi's attorneys wrote, "That confidence was clearly misplaced." Mahdi had previously filed for clemency but was denied by South Carolina's Governor Henry McMaster.
Throughout his troubled childhood, Mahdi's legal team blamed his crimes on abuse and neglect. In 2004, Mahdi admitted to killing 56-year-old police captain James Myers. Myers' remains were found burned in a shed in their backyard. Before this, Mahdi also pleaded guilty to murdering a convenience store clerk.
After the execution, Mahdi's body was cremated, making further tests impossible. His case adds to concerns about the accuracy and ethics of firing squad executions, with legal challenges potentially on the horizon.
Insights:- Firing squad executions involve marksmen shooting at the convict's heart, and the accuracy of this process varies and can result in a prolonged, painful death.- In the case of Mikal Mahdi, the execution was botched, with two bullets evident in the autopsy instead of the expected three, and the convict reportedly crying out in pain and breathing for extended periods.- Dr. Jonathan Arden, the pathologist hired by Mahdi's legal team, claims that two bullets entering the same spot on a human body is extremely rare and suggests that death was not instantaneous.- Mahdi's legal team is challenging the execution, arguing that it was botched due to marksmanship errors, inadequate target placement, or insufficient training of the execution team.- The case highlights concerns about the use of firing squad executions, with some arguing that it may constitute cruel and unusual punishment, as per the Eighth Amendment, and violate the rights of condemned prisoners.
- The botched firing squad execution of Mikal Mahdi, a South Carolina cop killer, resulted in a prolonged and excruciating death, according to his attorneys.
- The likely cause of Mahdi's prolonged death is the marksmen missing his heart and hitting his liver and pancreas instead during the execution.
- The legal team of Mahdi believes the execution was flawed due to marksmanship errors, inadequate target placement, or insufficient training of the execution team.
- There are concerns about the accuracy and ethics of firing squad executions, and legal challenges may be on the horizon, given the case of Mahdi.
