MAYBE THE OLD WAYS ARE BEST: South Carolina Murderer Will Die by Firing Squad This Week. “Sigmon himself chose the firing squad because he was afraid the electric chair would ‘burn and cook him alive,’ according to his attorney, Gerald King. He also declined a lethal injection because previous men killed via this method in South Carolina likely suffered. Their autopsies found that their lungs were swollen and filled with ‘blood and fluid.’ One man’s execution took 23 minutes.”