They Trusted Their Friend. He k!lled Them. Stephen Bryant Just Executed by Firing Squad –
November 14th, 2025. 6:02 p.m. Broad River Correctional Institution, South Carolina. A man sits strapped to a steel chair wearing a black jumpsuit. His chest bears a white target with a red bullseye. Three riflemen wait behind a wall. Then a volley of gunfire. Steven Cory Bryant, age 44, has just been executed by firing squad.
Bryant wasn’t just another name on death row. Over the course of one chilling week in October 2004, he murdered three men, two of them friends, left a fourth for dead, set homes ablaze, taunted a family using their loved one’s phone, and scrolled catch me if you can in blood on a victim’s wall. His rampage shocked S County, South Carolina, and drew national headlines.
21 years later, justice, however defined, finally caught up with him. It started small. A breakin. A rural house in S County. Bryant, 23, broke a window, rifled through drawers, and walked out with cash and a laptop. At the time, no one knew this was just the beginning. On the morning of October 8th, 2004, Bryant returned to burglary.
This time he took something much more dangerous. A40 caliber handgun and ammunition. The theft didn’t just give him a weapon. It gave him a purpose. Later that day, Clinton Brown was fishing near the Watery River. A quiet morning, peaceful. Bryant spotted him and raised the stolen gun. One shot into Brown’s back. Somehow Brown didn’t die.
He managed to crawl to his car and drive himself to the hospital. He lived, but would carry the trauma for the rest of his life. On the evening of October 8th, 2004, Bryant wasn’t finished. He spent the night drinking with a friend, 36-year-old Clifton Gayy. They joked, listened to music, and rode around in Bryant’s truck.
Then, out of nowhere, Bryant pulled over, ordered Gayy out, and shot him dead. several bullets, including one to the head. He left the body on the roadside, but it wasn’t enough. Bryant drove to Gainy’s home, stole electronics and even a fish tank, then set the trailer on fire. He wanted it all destroyed. 2 days later, on October 11th, 2004, Bryant arrived at the home of 62-year-old Willard TJ Tun.
He claimed his car had broken down. Teen trusting and generous, let him in. Bryant responded with a hail of gunfire. Nine bullets, including shots to the chest and head. But the horror didn’t stop there. Bryant desecrated the body. He burned Teen’s eyes with a cigarette.
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He set his goatee on fire. Then, using Teen’s blood, he scrolled a message on the wall. Victim 4 in 2 weeks.
Catch me if you can. When Teen’s wife and daughter called his phone, Brian picked up. He told them the prowler had k!lled him. Then he hung up. On October 13th, 2004, the final victim, 35-year old Christopher Burgess, was traveling with a bicycle. Bryant picked him up at a convenience store. He never made it home.
Bryant shot him multiple times, dumped the body near a hunting path, and drove off. Later that day, Bryant was arrested at his girlfriend’s house. He confessed calmly, in detail. Clinton Brown survived, but suffered deep psychological wounds. Clifton Gayy was a father. Two sons were left without him. His mother and brother buried him in disbelief.
Christopher Burgess was remembered by his family as a kind, down on his luck man who never hurt anyone. TJ Teen was a decorated Air Force veteran. He was 62, married for 39 years, and a proud father. All were innocent. All were targeted at random or worse for personal betrayal. Bryant didn’t just k!ll, he mocked. He mutilated.
He performed acts of cruelty that disturbed even seasoned investigators. He made phone calls. He desecrated corpses. He looted and burned homes. He turned tragedy into theater. One detective would later say, “He didn’t just k!ll them. He wanted people to feel haunted.” Bryant’s defenders point to a life marred by abuse, raped by relatives, raised by addicted parents, suffering from brain damage, possibly caused by prenatal alcohol exposure.
Months before the k!llings, he tried to seek help. He was turned away from a counseling center. Couldn’t afford it. He told his grandmother and aunt about the abuse. He broke down sobbing at their kitchen table. They tried to find help. They failed. But the prosecution argued plenty of people have trauma. Most don’t k!ll. On November 14th, 2025, Steven Corey Bryant woke up in the early morning.
He’s already refused visits from clergy or family. He wants to be alone. He’s offered breakfast, scrambled eggs, toast, coffee, but he barely eats. He spends the morning reading from a Bible. sometimes pacing in his cell. At noon, his last meal arrives. Spicy seafood stir fry over white rice, fried fish with soy sauce, three egg rolls, three stuffed shrimp, duck with glaze, two zero bars, German chocolate cake, and two cans of Pepsi.
He eats slowly, silently, finishes less than half. By 4:30 p.m., preparations begin. He’s dressed in a black jumpsuit. Guards strap him to a restraint chair. They attach mittens to prevent finger movement. At 5:45 p.m., he’s led into the execution chamber. He doesn’t struggle. He doesn’t speak. He’s strapped into a steel chair.
Legs, arms, torso. A physician tapes a target to his chest directly over the heart. A red bullseye. Standard procedure. He glances once toward the viewing room. His expression is unreadable. He declines a final statement when asked if he had one. At 6:02 p.m., the order is given. Three riflemen, volunteers from the Department of Corrections, fire from behind partition.
The shots hit center mass. The target flutters. Blood blossoms across his chest. His body twitches once, then stillness. At 6:05 p.m., the doctor checks his pulse and then pronounce him dead. Three of TJ Tun’s family members are there. They hold hands. One quietly weeps. They leave without speaking to reporters. Two journalists from state newspapers are in the room.
They describe the execution as quick and clinical. Bryant’s attorney is also there. He leaves without comment. Outside the prison, about 20 protesters hold signs. Some chant, some pray, others just stand in silence. One sign reads, “Don’t k!ll to prove k!lling is wrong.” The governor issues a short statement. Justice was served.
Bryant’s lawyer releases a message postuously. He forgave those who failed him. He died with peace in his heart. Steven Corey Bryant left a trail of horror. He destroyed families. He traumatized a community. He also came from horror, a life of abuse, neglect, addiction, and pain. One question lingers. If he had received help when he asked for it, would anyone have died? Was justice served, or was this just the final act in a cycle of violence? Let us know in the comments.
Should the state have taken his life? Did his background matter? Would life in prison have been enough? Hit like if you want more true crime stories like this. Subscribe for the full archive. And remember, evil doesn’t come from nowhere. It’s made, then it spreads. Until next time, stay aware, stay critical, stay
