Brad Keith Sigmon was executed by firing squad on March 7th, 2025, at South Carolina’s Broad River Correctional Institution, ending a chilling chapter in the state’s history with its first lethal shooting in nearly 15 years. His brutal 2001 murders shocked a community still grappling with loss and justice served.
Sigmon’s case sent ripples through South Carolina, reopening wounds from a horrific double homicide that claimed the lives of David and Glattis Lark. The couple, innocent victims of Sigmon’s dark obsession, were savagely bludgeoned in their own home. His execution closed the final legal chapter after more than two decades on death row.
Born November 12th, 1957, Brad Keith Sigmon’s troubled past foreshadowed a violent future. From an abusive childhood and unstable family life, to 𝒹𝓇𝓊𝑔 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮 and mental health struggles, his downward spiral culminated in an unrelenting obsession. This fixation sparked one of the state’s most notorious crimes, forever marking his name.
The 2001 murders of the Larks were not crimes of opportunity but of bitter vendetta. Sigmon’s former girlfriend, Rebecca Barbar, had left him, pushing him over the edge into madness. After mixing drugs and alcohol, he plotted a chilling attack to reclaim his lost love by terrorizing her family.
On April 27th, 2001, Sigmon violently broke into the Lark’s peaceful Taylor, SC home. Armed only with a baseball bat, he viciously assaulted David and Glattis with repeated, savage blows, fracturing their skulls and ending their lives in brutal fashion. The carnage left the community stunned and devastated.
After the murders, Sigmon abducted Rebecca Barbar at gunpoint but she miraculously escaped, surviving a gunshot pursuit to seek medical help. This act of courage sparked a nationwide manhunt that led to Sigmon’s arrest in Tennessee after eleven days on the run, ending his brief reign of terror.
Facing charges for two counts of first-degree murder, kidnapping, and 𝒶𝓈𝓈𝒶𝓊𝓁𝓉, Sigmon’s trial began in July 2002. He confessed guilt, sealing his fate before a jury that sentenced him to death on July 20th. His conviction served as a starting point for years of legal battles and appeals that ultimately failed.
For almost 24 years, Sigmon remained on South Carolina’s death row under close scrutiny. Appeals were repeatedly denied, intensifying debate over justice, mental health, and the morality of capital punishment. His steadfast refusal to shy from the firing squad amplified these discussions as execution drew near.
The South Carolina Supreme Court allowed Sigmon to choose his execution method on February 7th, 2025. Rejecting lethal injection and electrocution over fears of prolonged suffering and burns, Sigmon requested the firing squad—a rare, violent method that sharply contrasted with modern protocols, reigniting controversy around execution ethics.
On March 7th, 2025, at six minutes past six in the evening, Sigmon was strapped and hooded in a Broad River Correctional Institution chamber. A squad of volunteer prison staff unleashed Winchester .