A man is scheduled to be executed by firing squad this evening, which would be the first firing squad execution in the United States in the last 15 years. On Wednesday, Brad Sigmon’s final appeal to the South Carolina Supreme Court was denied. In South Carolina, death row inmates may choose between firing squad, lethal injection, and electrocution. Sigmon said he felt forced to choose execution by firing squad over lethal injection because of a lack of information about the drugs used and the “fear of a tortuous death.” He also said he didn’t choose electrocution because he didn’t want to suffer “by being cooked alive.” Sigmon’s attorneys attempted to delay the execution to get a fuller hearing in court to learn more information about the drugs used in lethal injection, but their request was denied. Sigmon plans to ask Governor Henry McMaster for his sentence to be commuted, although no South Carolina governor has granted clemency since the death penalty restarted in 1976. Read on for more criminal law news.
Alabama governor commutes death sentence. Governor Kay Ivey of Alabama commuted the death sentence of Robin Myers to life in prison last week, citing multiple questions surrounding his case and the evidence against him. Myers, convicted of capital murder in 1991 for the death of Ludie Mae Tucker, has long maintained his innocence. After finding him guilty, the jury voted 9-3 in favor of life in prison, but the judge overrode the decision and sentenced Myers to death. This is the first execution stopped by Governor Ivey. In office since 2017, Ivey has presided over more than 20 executions. She stated “in short, I am not convinced that Mr. Myers is innocent, but I am not so convinced of his guilt as to approve of his execution. I therefore must respect both the jury’s decision to convict him and its recommendation that he be sentenced to life without parole,” and that this was “one of the most difficult decisions I’ve had to make as governor.” This marks the first time in nearly 25 years an Alabama governor commuted a death sentence.
NC Center for Missing Persons launches new tool. On Monday, the North Carolina Center for Missing Persons launched the Missing Child Repository, a new tool aimed at making it faster and easier to bring missing children home. The Repository is a centralized database with the names and photos of missing children in North Carolina which allows parents to input descriptors (age, hair color, eye color, etc.) to search among children listed in the database. Director Morrissa Moyer said the ability to search by physical characteristic is an advantage: “There have been a few cases where there have been some small children, toddlers, who have been located but can’t verbalize their name, who their parents are.” Another advantage is that children don’t have to qualify for an Amber Alert, which can sometimes take more than a few days, to be listed in the Repository. Two current limitations with the system are that the data is only updated once a week, and they do not always have photographs with each listing.
International romance fraud accomplice sentenced. Earlier this week, Wake County resident Michon Griffin, 46, was sentenced to two years in federal prison and will be supervised once released for three years. According to court documents, Griffin received over $2 million as part of an international romance scheme which she funneled to co-conspirators. The scheme involved individuals adopting fake identities and gaining the victims’ affection and trust, and then exploiting them for money. In this case, Griffin received $300,000 in commissions for her part, which she also did not report on her tax returns. As a result of her plea she was found guilty of conspiracy to commit money laundering and making false statements on her tax returns, and in addition to her prison term must pay $109,119 in restitution to the IRS.
Raleigh man convicted of trying to export dangerous technology. David Bohmerwald, 63, was charged with violating the Export Control Reform Act in October for attempting to sell technology with military applications to China without a required license. After pleading guilty last week, Bohmerwald faces up to 20 years in prison. Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel Bubar said in a statement “North Carolina is home to cutting-edge technologies that fuel our economy, improve our lives, and are vital to national security. But our status as a major tech hub also makes us a target, as America’s foreign adversaries seek to acquire sensitive tech to advance their military might and interests around the world.” Bohmerwald purchased 100 accelerometers and then attempted to export the devices to a company in China. In addition to potential use for research and development, the accelerometers can be used to help missiles fly more accurately and to measure the precise impact of explosive munitions on structures.
Going all in. A Michigan car dealer has been charged in federal court in what is alleged to be an intricate scheme to defraud financial institutions of $3.9 million. George P. Janssen, 42, was initially audited in August 2023 after the state received a complaint about a fraudulent vehicle loan. State investigators uncovered multiple discrepancies and revoked Janssen’s license to sell vehicles for five years. Janssen, a four-time World Series of Poker Circuit Ring winner and Mid-States Poker Tour Event champion, then went missing in November. After one month, Janssen turned up on a rural roadside zip-tied and bloodied, and flagged down a motorist. He claimed he was abducted by a Mexican cartel and held hostage in an Ohio basement. According to Janssen, he had been extorted by this cartel starting in 2021, when a masked gunman targeted him as he left a poker tournament, and that since then he’s been forced to give the organization about $2 million. At this time, Janssen is charged with financial institution fraud, and the investigation into his account of abduction and extortion is ongoing.
When someone tells you who they are… A California couple recently pled guilty to violating fish and game laws, resulting in fines of over $1,000 each and one year of probation during which they will be barred from hunting. Just over a year ago, they were on a flight to Sacramento and started talking to their fellow passengers about their interests, including how they had once illegally hunted a mountain lion and how they were, at that very moment, smuggling the skull of an endangered sea turtle in their carry-on bag. This attracted the attention of two wildlife officers sitting nearby who, after introducing themselves and disclosing what they did for a living, continued listening to the couple share their illegal hunting accomplishments. Once in the terminal, after checking to see that no TSA agents were around, the couple showed the wildlife officers the sea turtle skull. The next day officers arrived at the couple’s home with a search warrant, finding them processing an illegally hunted deer, and discovered multiple other illegally hunted animals stuffed and mounted in a “trophy room.”