Mikal Mahdi, 42, was put to death by firing squad in South Carolina on Thursday. With this event, he now stands as the 12th person executed by the United States in all of 2023. This execution has reignited discussions around the ethics of capital punishment, especially considering Mahdi’s troubled background and the circumstances surrounding his trial.
Mahdi was sentenced to death by firing squad within a prison. Readjusting their sights, three staff members then took aim, using a bullseye affixed to his chest as the target. Witnesses have stated that Mahdi’s body was still breathing for approximately 80 seconds after the bullets fired. Then, as if to prove us all wrong, he appeared to take one last gasp. The use of firing squads has gained traction in some states as alternatives to lethal injection, which has faced challenges due to drug shortages and legal disputes.
In 2004, Mahdi ultimately entered a guilty plea for the execution-style murder of James Myers, a 56-year-old off-duty public safety officer. His lawyers made the case that he didn’t have effective counsel at his sentencing. They highlighted that they offered just “just over half an hour” of mitigating evidence. Mahdi’s defense team capitalized on the absence of advocacy, using it as a key, winning argument. They argued that the judge failed to consider critical information about his childhood and established mental illness.
Mahdi’s childhood was marked by significant trauma. His mom left her husband when Greg was only four years old in search of a better life away from her abusive marriage. By age nine, Mahdi was showing suicidal ideations and was temporarily institutionalized to a psychiatric hospital. He was held in solitary confinement for about 8,000 hours from age 14 to 21. This experience greatly exacerbated his pre-existing mental health disorders.
His attorneys made the case that systemic failures led to his predicament. David Weiss, one of Mahdi’s lawyers, said he was horrified by the treatment Mahdi endured his entire life.
“Mikal Mahdi was a smart, creative, intellectually curious person who could have done so much more with his life. He just never got the chance,” – David Weiss
Weiss bemoaned that Mahdi’s death wasn’t just an isolated incident, a reflection of an entire society that failed to protect the most vulnerable among us.
“Mikal died in full view of the system that failed him at every turn – from childhood to his final breath … Mikal’s life was a testament to systemic neglect, and his death was its final, cruel punctuation mark,” – David Weiss, assistant federal public defender
The legal arguments around Mahdi’s case focused on the unconstitutionality of his treatment. His defense team had claimed he did not deserve the death penalty. They pointed to the history of abuse and neglect he experienced as a child. The judge who sentenced Mahdi was unaware of his father’s violent history. Further, he continued to be blind to the deep mental health struggles that Mahdi faced growing up.
On top of all of this, Mahdi had made a wish that, upon his death, his organs be donated. But apparently, healthcare protocols at the prison forbade acceptance of these donations, adding to an already tragic tale with more layers of heartbreak.
Weiss spoke out against violence committed against Mahdi in his life, as well.
“We condemn the violence done to him as a child, as an adolescent in prison, and as an adult. Mikal’s story of abuse and neglect by the state is sadly not unique – but for the state to condemn a man who they broke as a child is not only a tragedy, it’s a collective failure of empathy by our society and by our entire system of justice,” – David Weiss
The execution has reignited debates on the morality and efficacy of capital punishment in South Carolina and nationwide. Critics contend that the execution of people like Mahdi exposes deep moral and ethical issues. These people are frequently victims of incredible trauma and have been failed by the system.