State marksmen missed the heart of a South Carolina cop killer who chose to die by firing squad last month, botching his execution and causing him to suffer an excruciating, prolonged end, his attorneys claim.
Mikal Mahdi, 42, was put to death on April 11 for murdering an off-duty police officer in 2004.
Mahdi’s attorneys said he opted to be executed by firing squad over lethal injection or electrocution because he believed it would be the quickest and most painless method of the three options.
However, an independent autopsy has suggested Mahdi’s execution did not go according to plan and that the convicted killer endured pain well beyond the ‘10-to-15 second’ window that was expected.
In documents filed in the Supreme Court on Thursday, Mahdi’s attorneys claim that the state’s three marksmen shot their client lower than expected, missing his heart and striking him just above the abdomen, piercing his liver and pancreas.
As the shots were fired, Mahdi cried out and his arms flexed, the AP reported. He was heard breathing and groaning for at least a minute after and wasn’t officially pronounced dead for four minutes.
The autopsy ordered by his attorneys found that Mahdi suffered only two distinct gunshot wounds to his torso, even though there were three gunmen, each possessing a live round.
His lawyers believe the execution was botched because either the volunteer prison employees missed or the target over Mahdi’s chest to mark the location of his heart wasn’t properly placed.