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2d ago

Judge Rules South Carolina Inmate Steven Bixby Competent for Execution

The judge concluded Bixby’s anti-government beliefs reflect ideology rather than delusion based on state and court expert evaluations.

FILE- Two crosses still stand in the front yard Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2007, where Sheriff's Sgt. Danny Wilson and constable Donnie Ouzts were shot outside the house of Arthur and Rita Bixby in Abbeville, S.C. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain, File)
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Overview

  • Circuit Judge R. Scott Sprouse issued a Sept. 12 order finding Bixby competent to be executed following an August evidentiary hearing.
  • The court credited testimony from Dr. Richard Lesesne Frierson and Dr. Donna Maddox, while deeming defense expert Dr. Richart DeMier’s incompetency opinion not credible.
  • Sprouse found Bixby understands the proceedings, can choose to assist his lawyers, and holds firm property-rights views that are not legally delusional.
  • The ruling clears a procedural hurdle but is subject to further appeals, with Bixby’s attorneys able to seek review by the South Carolina Supreme Court and no execution date set.
  • Bixby, 58, was sentenced to death for the 2003 killings of Deputy Danny Wilson and Constable Donnie Ouzts during a property dispute that led to a 12-hour standoff; his parents were also charged and later died in prison.