Stephen Stanko 鈥 who killed his girlfriend, raped her daughter and then killed his friend 鈥 has opted to die by lethal injection.
Scheduled for Friday, June 13, Stanko鈥檚 execution will be the sixth held in South Carolina since fall 2024 after an 11-year pause on executions. The death warrant for Stanko was issued by the South Carolina Supreme Court on May 16. He had until May 30 to choose the way he will die: lethal injection, firing squad or electric chair.聽
Stanko has been on South Carolina鈥檚 death row since 2006. He was sentenced to death twice: Once in Georgetown County for the murder of his girlfriend Laura Ling and rape of her daughter, and a second for the murder of his friend Henry Turner. The crimes happened within hours of one another, and were followed by a days-long manhunt, with Stanko later being arrested in Augusta, Georgia.
After the execution warrant was issued, Stanko鈥檚 lawyers filed a motion with the court asking for more information about firing squad and lethal injection protocols from the South Carolina Department of Corrections. But the state Supreme Court denied the request.
Death row inmate Stephen Stanko is scheduled to be executed June 13, 2025.
In the motion, Stanko鈥檚 lawyers claim that the April firing squad execution of Mikal Mahdi raised concerns for Stanko regarding the efficacy of the execution.
Witnesses said Mahdi groaned multiple times after he was shot and seemed to continue breathing more than a minute after the gunshots rang out. That was in contrast to South Carolina鈥檚 first firing squad execution where witnesses reported seeing Brad Sigmon not make any sounds after being shot and seeing his chest rise only two to three times.
鈥淎n explanation for why Mahdi was conscious and suffering pain for more than double that time and how it will be avoided in the future is necessary as another inmate faces the gruesome choice between execution methods,鈥 Stanko鈥檚 lawyers鈥 motion reads.
A news release from SCDC said when the firing squad method is carried out, three volunteer SCDC employees shoot simultaneously from 15 feet away at a target placed on the heart of the inmate who is strapped to a chair. A hood is placed over the prisoner before the shooting and after a last statement is read. Then the warden reads the execution order.
Autopsies were performed on both Sigmon and Mahdi with notable differences. According to Sigmon鈥檚 autopsy, his heart was 鈥渃ompletely fragmented鈥 and three close proximity gunshot entrance wounds were observed by the autopsy doctor. Mahdi鈥檚 autopsy showed just two obvious entrance wounds, with a note saying that 鈥渋t is believed鈥 that one gunshot wound represented two 鈥済unshot wound pathways.鈥 Mahdi鈥檚 autopsy also showed that his heart was not as damaged as Sigmon鈥檚. The autopsy showed that there was a 鈥減erforation鈥 of Mahdi鈥檚 right ventricle as well as injuries to the liver, pancreas and T11 vertebrae.
The S.C. Supreme Court rebutted the allegations that the Mahdi execution was botched.
鈥...the evidence shows the target was placed on Mahdi's chest as required by protocol, the bullets hit the target, and Mahdi was struck with three bullets,鈥 the court鈥檚 reply reads.聽
Stanko鈥檚 lawyers have also raised questions about lethal injection protocols.聽
Lethal injections in South Carolina are administered using the drug pentobarbital. Chrysti Shain, director of communications for SCDC, said the state follows the guidelines of the Federal Bureau of Prisons in how it carries out lethal injection executions. SCDC uses a single drug 鈥 pentobarbital 鈥 in a single dose. Stanko鈥檚 lawyers鈥 motion asks why a second dose was given in prior lethal injection executions.
鈥淪imilarly, the inmates executed by lethal injection were administered a second dose of pentobarbital ten minutes after administration of the first dose, contrary to the May 16 2025 Department of Corrections鈥 certification that the execution would be conducted by a single dose of pentobarbital,鈥 the motion reads.
Roger Turner is the youngest of three children of Henry Turner, who was shot and killed by Stephen Stanko in 2005. Twenty years later, Stanko is set to be executed in Columbia.
The S.C. Supreme Court denied Stanko鈥檚 motion requesting more information and requesting a delay in the execution, saying a May 21 affidavit by acting SCDC Director Joel Anderson provided enough information to Stanko to make his decision on an execution method. The court also writes that SCDC did not deviate from protocol by administering a second dose of pentobarbital.
鈥溾he protocol specifically provides for a second dose and subsequent doses, if needed, and states, 鈥楾his process will continue until the physician determines death has occurred.鈥 The reasons for the second dose, and any further doses, of pentobarbital are specifically set forth in the protocol, which was followed in the most recent lethal injection executions,鈥 the court鈥檚 reply states.
鈥淎ppellant has failed to present any basis for the additional information he seeks. Therefore, the requests are denied,鈥 the court鈥檚 reply to Stanko鈥檚 motion states. 鈥淢oreover, because there are no exceptional circumstances warranting a stay of Appellant's execution, the request for a stay is denied.鈥
Stanko鈥檚 execution will be held at the Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia, scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, June 13.
(4) comments
You can tell he is not as bad as he made himself out to be by taking the easy way out with lethal injection instead of the firing squad or the electric chair.
One less POS the taxpayers can stop paying for. Should have been executed 6 months after he was sentenced . Bleeding heart liberal clowns cost everyone more grief.
I鈥檓 not really sure that I would feel bad if the criminal suffered after being shot by firing squad and didn鈥檛 immediately die. He certainly didn鈥檛 care how much pain his victims were in when he was killing those innocent people. I say it鈥檚 part of the punishment. I guess I鈥檓 an eye for an eye person I guess.
My thoughts exactly I am with you 100%
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