Execution Set for South Carolina Killer Who Taunted Police With Message in Victim’s Blood: ‘Catch Me If U Can’

SUMTER COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA — The South Carolina Supreme Court has scheduled the execution of Stephen Bryant, a convicted murderer who shocked investigators two decades ago by writing “Catch me if u can” in his victim’s blood. Bryant, 44, is set to be executed on November 14, following a final rejection of his legal team’s plea for delay.

A Chilling Crime That Shook Sumter County

Bryant was convicted of killing Willard “TJ” Tietjen in October 2004 after stopping by Tietjen’s home under the pretense of car trouble. Prosecutors said Bryant shot the man multiple times before lighting candles around his body and painting a blood-written message on the wall that read, “Victem 4 in 2 weeks. Catch me if u can.”

Investigators later learned that Bryant had also killed two other men during the same period — both shot in the back after stepping out of his car to urinate on rural roads.

Tietjen’s daughter, Kimberly Dees, recalled receiving a call from her father’s phone that turned into a nightmare.

“I said, ‘This isn’t funny, who are you?’ And he said, ‘I’m the prowler,’” she told the court during sentencing.

Death Sentence and Execution Details

Bryant’s execution order comes after the state’s high court denied a defense motion for a postponement linked to the ongoing federal government shutdown. He now has until October 31 to choose his method of execution — lethal injection, firing squad, or electric chair.

If carried out, Bryant’s execution would mark the 50th death penalty in South Carolina since 1985 and the seventh since the state resumed executions in 2024 after a 13-year hiatus.

The state paused executions in 2011 due to shortages of lethal injection drugs, but lawmakers later passed a shield law protecting drug suppliers’ identities and reinstated the firing squad as an option.

Defense Argued Childhood Abuse and Mental Trauma

Bryant’s attorneys argued that severe childhood abuse contributed to his violent behavior. They said he was sexually abused by four male relatives and had sought help from a probation officer and family members before the killings.

“He was very upset. It’s like his soul was laid wide open,” testified his aunt, Terry Caulder. “He was reliving the abuse over again.”

His lawyers said he turned to methamphetamine and bug spray-laced marijuana to cope with his trauma.

Debate Over Execution Methods Continues

The case has revived debate over South Carolina’s execution practices. Inmates previously executed by firing squad claimed the procedure caused unnecessary suffering, while others challenged the use of pentobarbital injections, arguing that the method can cause inmates to drown internally without visible reaction.

State officials, however, maintain that all execution methods meet constitutional standards.

South Carolina’s Death Row History

Once among the nation’s most active death penalty states, South Carolina’s execution program slowed for over a decade due to drug supply issues. Since resuming in 2024, the state has carried out six executions.

Bryant is expected to become the seventh inmate executed since the restart. Nationwide, 39 men have been executed this year, with at least five more executions scheduled before year’s end.

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