Stephen Stanko, a 57-year-old man from South Carolina, was executed by lethal injection on Friday, marking the state’s sixth execution in nine months. Stanko was sentenced to death for the 2005 murder of a friend after shooting him and then stealing from his bank account. Before his execution, he delivered a 3.5-minute final statement, expressing remorse and asking not to be judged solely for his worst actions. The execution procedure began with the administration of the sedative pentobarbital.
In the moments leading up to his death, Stanko appeared to struggle, turning towards the victims’ families and showing signs of distress before ultimately ceasing to breathe. He was pronounced dead about 28 minutes after the execution process commenced. Stanko also faced another death sentence for the murder of his live-in girlfriend and brutally attacking her teenage daughter, which included strangulation and attempted murder; the daughter survived the attack.
Stanko had considered opting for South Carolina’s new firing squad method but ultimately chose lethal injection after concerns arose about the accuracy of the firing squad following the last execution. His legal team made a last-minute appeal to federal courts, arguing that lethal injection procedures in the state were flawed, but both the courts and Governor Henry McMaster, who denied clemency minutes before the execution, upheld the death sentence. Stanko’s execution was part of a series of executions occurring nationwide, with other states like Florida and Alabama also conducting executions within the same week.
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