South Carolina Supreme Court Clears Path for Firing Squad Execution of Mikal Mahdi

The court unanimously rejected Mahdi's final appeal, affirming his April 11 execution for the 2004 ambush killing of an off-duty police officer.

Mikal Mahdi, convicted of killing Officer James Myers in 2004, is set to be executed by firing squad on April 11 at Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia, South Carolina.
The South Carolina Supreme Court unanimously rejected Mahdi's final appeal, dismissing claims of inadequate legal representation as repetitive and previously addressed.
Mahdi admitted to the ambush killing of Officer Myers and an additional murder of a convenience store clerk in North Carolina, for which he received a life sentence.
The execution will mark the second use of South Carolina's revived firing squad method, following challenges in obtaining lethal injection drugs.
Governor Henry McMaster remains Mahdi's last potential avenue for clemency, though no South Carolina governor has granted clemency in over four decades.