Death row inmate begs state to delay his execution until after the holidays

A South Carolina man on death row has asked a court not to order his execution before the holidays.​Steven Bixby, who was convicted in 2007 for killing two law enforcement officials, says that carrying out the execution over the festive period would “take a substantial toll on all involved.”​The motion comes amid nationwide debates over the death penalty, following the failed execution of convicted murderer Christa Pike and the commutation of the sentences of those on death row in California.​In his petition, which was filed on November 4 and reviewed by The Independent, Bixby cites a previous abeyance for convicted murderer Marion Bowman after his execution would have landed on a day “identically situated to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays” as his own.​The document notes that the execution order could be issued as soon as November 6, which could set an execution date as soon as December 4.Steven Bixby (pictured) says that he wants his execution to be postponed until after the holidays (South Carolina Department of Corrections)​“The preparation for and carrying out of an execution during a time of year that is so important to families will take a substantial toll on all involved,” the document reads.​Bixby and his lawyers also argue that the court denied a rehearing on his claim that it failed to hold a Singleton colloquy - a meeting between a judge and a defendant - which he says violates the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment.​Bixby was arrested in 2003 after a 14-hour stand-off involving both him and his parents, Rita and Arthur, with members of law enforcement.​The standoff was connected to a long-running dispute over plans to widen a highway, which the self-described “sovereign family” opposed, and the taking of their land.​Abbeville County Sheriff's Deputy Sergeant Daniel ‘Danny Boy’ Wilson responded to a complaint made by a surveyor at the Bixby address but was taken hostage after being shot at point-blank range. During the following 14 hours, he died from his wound.​State Constable Donnie Ouzts was sent to investigate but was also fatally shot.Bixby’s motion comes weeks after the failed execution of Christa Pike (pictured) in Tennessee (Knoxville News Sentinel)Bixby was found guilty on 17 counts, including murder, for his part in the crime.​The convicted murderer’s father died at a mental facility in 2011, and his mother died in prison from cancer a week later.​Bixby’s execution has been stayed several times, amid litigation over the constitutionality of South Carolina’s execution methods and an effort by his defense team to claim that Bixby was incompetent to be executed. A judge found him to be competent.​However, national conversations surrounding the death penalty have been sparked in recent weeks after authorities in Tennessee carried out a failed execution of Christa Pike - who had been convicted of the 1995 murder of classmate Colleen Slemmer.​In a statement, Pike said that the failed execution left her with “physical” pain and “pain in my mind.”​On November 5, the U.S. carried out its second triple execution this year despite the most recent triple execution prior to 2026 being carried out in 2010. That same day, California Governor Gavin Newsom commuted the sentences of all 548 prisoners on death row and transferred them to life in prison sentences.