South-Carolina

Louisiana, Arizona end pauses on capital punishment as 3 executions set for March

Published

10 months ago

February 12, 2025

Louisiana, Arizona end pauses on capital punishment as 3 executions set for March

Three states have scheduled executions in March, including one eyeing a controversial nitrogen gas method in order to carry it out and another state that struggled to insert IVs into three separate inmates during their lethal injections.

Louisiana’s execution of Christopher Sepulvado on March 17 would mark the end of a 15-year break in executions in the state, which plans to use nitrogen gas. Arizona’s execution of Aaron Gunches on March 19 would be the first in the state since 2022, when the state struggled to carry out three executions.

Meanwhile South Carolina is set to execute its fourth inmate since September, when the state reinstated the practice after a 13-year pause.

“The resumption of executions in states which have not killed prisoners in over a decade is a troubling last gasp for the death penalty in the United States,” Abraham Bonowitz, executive director of Death Penalty Action, told USA TODAY on Wednesday. “Killing old men decades after their crimes does not make us safer, nor does it bring back the victims in these cases.”

Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said in a statement Monday that “justice will be dispensed.”

“For too long, Louisiana has failed to uphold the promises made to victims of our State’s most violent crimes,” he said. “I anticipate the national press will embellish on the feelings and interests of the violent death row murderers, we will continue to advocate for the innocent victims and the loved ones left behind.”

So far this year, the U.S. has executed three inmates, with two more scheduled to die and on Thursday and at least 12 more by the end of the year. Here’s what to know about the newly scheduled executions.

Louisiana ends prohibition on death penalty

A De Soto Parish judge granted a death warrant Tuesday for 81-year-old Christopher Sepulvado to be executed on March 17 for the murder of his 6-year-old stepson in 1993.

Attorney General Liz Murrill told The Associated Press that the state will use nitrogen gas and expects to execute four inmates this year.

The Rev. Jeff Hood, a spiritual advisor for Death Row inmates and anti-death penalty activist, was a witness to the first nitrogen gas execution in the United States − that of Kenny Eugene Smith on Jan. 25, 2024 − and described it as being “horrific.”

“Kenny was shaking the entire gurney. I had never seen something so violent,” Hood wrote in a column for USA TODAY following the execution of Kenneth Smith. “There was nothing in his body that was calm. Everything was going everywhere all at once, over and over.”

Sepulvado’s attorney, Shawn Nolan, told KTBS-TV that the inmate is in poor health and confined to a wheelchair.

“Chris Sepulvado is a debilitated old man suffering from serious medical ailments,” he said. “There is no conceivable reason why ‘justice’ might be served by executing Chris instead of letting him live out his few remaining days in prison.”

Arizona to restart executions after review

The Arizona State Supreme Court granted a warrant of execution for Aaron Gunches on Tuesday, setting the first execution in the state in more than two years for March 19, reported The Arizona Republic − a part of the USA TODAY Network.

Gunches was sentenced to death for the 2002 murder of Ted Price, a former longtime boyfriend of Gunches’ girlfriend. Gunches has advocated for his execution, and the state’s Supreme Court previously granted a death warrant for him in 2023 that was not completed when Democratic state leadership paused executions upon taking office.

Gov. Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes suspended capital punishment pending a review of Arizona’s death penalty process because the state struggled to insert IVs for three lethal injection executions in 2022: those of Clarence Dixon, Frank Atwood and Murray Hooper.

Dixon’s attorneys said it took 40 minutes to insert IVs. Dixon’s execution team resorted to inserting an IV line into his femoral vein, which caused him to experience pain and resulted in a “fair amount of blood,” according to Associated Press reporter Paul Davenport, who witnessed the execution.

The execution team for Atwood also struggled to insert IVs, prompting technicians to consider the femoral vein, as well. However, Atwood asked the team to try his arms again, eventually guiding them to insert the line into one of his hands successfully.

During Hooper’s execution, he turned and asked the viewing gallery, “Can you believe this?” as the execution team tried and failed repeatedly to insert IVs into his arms before inserting a catheter into his femoral vein.

Hobbs ended the review process late last year, and Mayes announced she was pursuing the execution of Gunches.

State officials have said there will now be additional members on the execution team, including a phlebotomist. During previous executions, the IV team was sometimes staffed with corrections officers.

South Carolina to execute fourth person in five months

Meanwhile the South Carolina Supreme Court on Friday scheduled a March 7 execution date for Brad Sigmon for the 2001 murder of a couple and the kidnapping of their daughter, according to the Greenville News − a part of the USA TODAY Network.

Sigmon would be the fourth man executed by the state since September if the execution is completed, following Freddie “Khalil” Owens, Richard Moore and Marion Bowman last month.

Lawyers representing Sigmon, 67, filed a motion last week to stay Sigmon’s executionafter reviewing Moore’s autopsy.

According to the motion, the previous three men remained alive for 20 minutes after receiving a dose of pentobarbital, and Moore had to be injected a second time.

“This raises grave concerns: that during all three of SCDC’s recent executions, the drugs were either not properly administered, not reliable and effective, or all of the above,” according to the motion.

USA TODAY reached out to the South Carolina Department of Corrections for a response.

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South-Carolina

David Pascoe: ‘South Carolina Isn’t Run by Republicans’ – FITSNews

Published

11 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

David Pascoe: ‘South Carolina Isn’t Run by Republicans’ – FITSNews

by DAVID PASCOE

***

Republicans have a supermajority in South Carolina; yet, our state is more liberal than the purple states that border us. John Adams once said, “facts are stubborn things.” Well, the facts prove our State Republican leadership gets its playbook from the Democratic Party.

In 2024, I was one of the only elected officials to endorse conservative Republican JD Chaplin in his campaign against liberal Democrat Gerald Malloy, who blocked every single pro-law enforcement bill in the General Assembly. Malloy was one of the most powerful lawyer-legislators in the state and teamed often with Republicans on the Judiciary Committee to stifle conservative legislation. I met with Republicans in both Houses of the General Assembly and tried to rally them to support the REPUBLICAN nominee. They refused because they either feared Malloy and feared the lawyer-legislators in power who supported him. In my endorsement of Chaplin, I stated that the two-party system in South Carolina is not R vs. D but those who strive to serve others vs. those who strive to serve themselves. Luckily, JD Chaplin beat Gerald Malloy without the help of any Republican leadership in the General Assembly.

In our state, we have witnessed the liberal Republican Party establishment demonize and attempt to defeat conservative fighters because they are members of the Freedom Caucus. They use political consultants (The Swamp Parasites) giving them offices on State House property to attack the Freedom Caucus, the very men and women who exemplify what it means to be a conservative and fight against corruption and cronyism. The leadership in the General Assembly would rather work with liberal Democrats than work together with their fellow Republicans. But here is a coincidental fact – 30% of the General Assembly are lawyer-legislators; less than 10% of Freedom Caucus members are lawyer-legislators.

***

Let me tell you the core reason we are a liberal state and why I have enemies: conservatives are not really in charge of South Carolina. The lawyer-legislator uniparty is.

Nearly 30% of the General Assembly are lawyers. They control all of the money, the judiciary, and the most important committees. That is not representative government. That’s a cartel.

When lawyers gain unchecked political power, they do not just write laws. They shape the system to benefit themselves. They design rules that ordinary citizens cannot understand, navigate, or challenge. That is exactly what has happened in South Carolina.

For over 30 years, liberal Republicans have controlled the State House. Liberal control has given us a judicial system dominated by legislative insiders. We have judges effectively chosen by the same lawyers who practice before them. We have legislative privilege routinely abused to delay cases, rearrange court dockets, and keep powerful clients out of trouble.

***

David Pascoe (Dylan Nolan/FITSNews)

***

What we have is a uniparty. A trial lawyer uniparty. Republicans and Democrats alike who share two things in common: they are lawyers who benefit from controlling the courts, and they cannot stand me because I am about to stand in their way as Attorney General. Their bank accounts cannot afford for me to win.

I have seen this system up close. I spent decades as a prosecutor. I led the State House Corruption Probe that exposed a pay-to-play culture operating at the highest levels of government. That investigation did not make me popular in Columbia. It did, however, make something very clear. Corruption does not thrive in chaos. It thrives in systems designed to protect insiders and punish anyone who challenges them.

The most powerful examples of this system are the House and Senate Judiciary Committees. These Committees are where judicial reform and pro-life legislation go to die. It is where lawyer-legislators protect their influence. It is where bills that threaten legislative control of the courts quietly disappear. This is not about party labels. It is about power. Worst of all, it is often about using public service for personal profit.

Under this system, lawyer-legislators decide which judges are allowed to be considered. And then they walk into courtrooms across South Carolina expecting favorable treatment from the very judges whose careers they control. That is not separation of powers. That is consolidation of power.

***

RELATED | BOUGHT AND PAID FOR

***

Families lose. Crime victims lose. Small businesses lose. And public trust evaporates.

This system did not develop by accident. It was built deliberately, layer by layer, and it continues because too many elected officials tolerate it. I’ve spent the last five years calling it out, which is the reason self dealing RINOs will stop at nothing to take down my campaign for Attorney General.

Bring. It. On.

The liberal Republicans aren’t winning this battle. As your next Attorney General, I will dismantle the lawyer-legislator uniparty for good, starting with Weston Newton’s stranglehold on this state. And more importantly, I will make it impossible for them to profit from their public service

If South Carolina wants real reform, it has to start by breaking the trial lawyer uniparty’s grip on the judiciary. It has to restore balance. It has to put citizens back ahead of insiders. I did not spend my career prosecuting corruption to stay quiet now. This system can be fixed. But only if we are honest about who really runs it.

Join me in this fight and let’s crush corruption in South Carolina.

***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

David Pascoe is solicitor for South Carolina’s first judicial circuit, which includes Calhoun, Dorchester and Orangeburg counties. He is a Republican candidate for attorney general of the Palmetto State.

***

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South-Carolina

Clemson’s Defense Takes Care Of South Carolina, Picks Up Palmetto Series Win

Published

23 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

Clemson’s Defense Takes Care Of South Carolina, Picks Up Palmetto Series Win

The Clemson Tigers prevailed on the hardwood against the South Carolina Gamecocks, winning 68-61 at Littlejohn Coliseum on Tuesday night.

Defense ruled the roost for Clemson, which allowed only four successful threes from 26 attempts by South Carolina, a low 15.4%. The Tigers forced 14 turnovers and turned them into 16 points of their own, a credit to how the team can slow down opposing offenses.

South Carolina’s 61 points are the lowest that the Gamecocks have scored all season, a credit to head coach Brad Brownell’s defense.

Redshirt freshman Ace Buckner took advantage of the opportunity he was given, seeing extended time while playing the most minutes he had all season. With two Tigers injured during the game, he took over, finishing with a career-high 19 points and seven rebounds.

The bench led the way for Clemson (9-3), scoring 41 points to South Carolina’s 14 in the win. In addition to Buckner, Carter Welling came off the bench and finished with 16 points and four rebounds. The big man would also have three steals on Tuesday night.

The Tigers’ starting unit struggled to get going in the first five minutes, leading to a full shuffle of the lineup after being down as much as seven. Then, the bench unit carried Clemson out of the hole, gaining the lead by the 12:25 mark in the first half and not giving it back.

There was bad news from Tuesday’s win involving true freshman Zac Foster, who exited the game in the first half with a knee injury. He did not return to the game and was not on the bench in the second half with his team. The four-star prospect, according to 247Sports, will await the timeline that comes next with his injury.

Fellow guard Butta Johnson also missed the second half with a left leg injury, having a physical play close to the basket that also had him slow to get up.

It led to the opportunity for Buckner, who played 17 minutes in the second half and scored 15 of his points in the final frame. He would also finish with two steals in the win.

While the Tigers shot well from the field, they struggled from the free throw line. Clemson made 60% of its free throws, missing 12 in the win.

Clemson will be back in action in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday afternoon, playing Cincinnati at the Bon Secour Wellness Arena in the 2025 Greenville Winter Invitational.

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South Carolina Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for Dec. 15, 2025

Published

2 days ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

South Carolina Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for Dec. 15, 2025

The South Carolina Education Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 15, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

23-35-59-63-68, Powerball: 02, Power Play: 4

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

Midday: 5-9-2, FB: 6

Evening: 1-3-7, FB: 2

Check Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

Midday: 0-2-2-8, FB: 6

Evening: 7-5-9-6, FB: 2

Check Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

Midday: 10

Evening: 15

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Palmetto Cash 5 numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

04-07-16-25-35

Check Palmetto Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

The South Carolina Education Lottery provides multiple ways to claim prizes, depending on the amount won:

For prizes up to $500, you can redeem your winnings directly at any authorized South Carolina Education Lottery retailer. Simply present your signed winning ticket at the retailer for an immediate payout.

Winnings $501 to $100,000, may be redeemed by mailing your signed winning ticket along with a completed claim form and a copy of a government-issued photo ID to the South Carolina Education Lottery Claims Center. For security, keep copies of your documents and use registered mail to ensure the safe arrival of your ticket.

SC Education Lottery

P.O. Box 11039

Columbia, SC 29211-1039

For large winnings above $100,000, claims must be made in person at the South Carolina Education Lottery Headquarters in Columbia. To claim, bring your signed winning ticket, a completed claim form, a government-issued photo ID, and your Social Security card for identity verification. Winners of large prizes may also set up an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) for convenient direct deposit of winnings.

Columbia Claims Center

1303 Assembly Street

Columbia, SC 29201

Claim Deadline: All prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the draw date for draw games.

For more details and to access the claim form, visit the South Carolina Lottery claim page.

When are the South Carolina Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
Pick 4: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
Cash Pop: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
Palmetto Cash 5: 6:59 p.m. ET daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Carolina editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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