Stephen Stanko faces execution after brutal murders in South Carolina

In South Carolina, Stephen Stanko, a man with a history of violent crimes, is set to be executed by lethal injection. His execution marks the sixth one in the state in just nine months. Stanko was sentenced to death for committing two separate murders, one of which involved killing his long-time friend Henry Turner in 2005. Desperate and deceitful, Stanko had lied about his father's death to gain access to Turner's home, where he shot him with a pillow as a silencer. Just hours before this heinous act, Stanko had violently assaulted and strangled his girlfriend, later committing rape against her daughter, whom he attempted to kill by slashing her throat; fortunately, the girl survived and testified against him in court. Stanko's legal team is trying to halt the execution, arguing that lethal injections have not been properly administered in South Carolina, citing troubling autopsy findings from previous executions where inmates showed signs of distress leading up to their deaths. Witnesses from prior executions noted that inmates displayed abnormal breathing patterns and struggled for breath before losing consciousness quickly. The state has not spared any death row inmate during the last 48 executions since the death penalty was reintroduced nearly 50 years ago, illustrating a grim resolve in carrying out capital punishment despite concerns regarding its methods and ethics. Stanko's execution is scheduled at 6 p.m. in a Columbia prison, a time of reckoning for his crimes which have been labeled as particularly despicable by those who have followed the case closely.