A South Carolina death row inmate has told courts that judges who rule against him are "led by Satan" and that most laws are unconstitutional, part of handwritten legal paperwork filed as judges consider whether he is mentally competent to be executed.
Steven Bixby, 58, was set to die in May for the 2003 killings of two police officers, but the South Carolina Supreme Court intervened and halted the execution so lower courts could determine his competency. State judges have asked a lower court to evaluate whether Bixby's beliefs have prevented his lawyers from adequately representing him.
Bixby has maintained a range of unconventional and religiously framed beliefs in filings and during psychological evaluation, arguing that laws and authorities are illegitimate and at times invoking arguments associated with sovereign-citizen movements. A psychologist who assessed him reported that Bixby understands what led to his death sentence but also expressed the belief that blood found on his clothing the night of the killings contained the DNA of Jesus Christ.
Prosecutors say Bixby shot two Abbeville County officers in 2003 after officers went to his home to discuss a land dispute involving his family and a construction crew widening a road. Bixby was convicted and sentenced to death for the slayings. His parents were also charged in connection with the incident; both have since died.
The United States and state constitutions bar the execution of defendants who lack a rational understanding of the reason for their punishment. Courts typically examine whether a condemned person comprehends the link between the crime, the conviction, and the impending execution. The state Supreme Court's stay requires lower-court fact-finding about Bixby's mental state and whether it has affected his legal representation.
Bixby's handwritten submissions to the court, which include claims that judges are "guided by Satan" and broad assertions about the invalidity of laws, have prompted questions from judges and defense attorneys about his competency and the effect of his beliefs on the defense strategy. Defense counsel has at times attempted to raise competency issues, and the recent pause in the execution schedule allows additional evaluation.
Attorneys for the state have argued that Bixby has demonstrated sufficient understanding of his punishment and the reasons for it. The psychologist's prior assessment, which acknowledged Bixby's grasp of the circumstances that produced his death sentence while noting unusual religious beliefs, has figured into the competing legal claims.
The South Carolina courts will now proceed with fact-finding to resolve whether Bixby is competent to be executed and whether any mental-health issues have compromised his right to effective counsel. A final decision by the state Supreme Court could follow the lower court's findings and additional filings from both sides.
The case has drawn attention for the intersection of capital punishment law and competency standards, and for questions about how courts should handle defendants who express strongly held but unconventional religious or political beliefs. No new execution date has been set while the courts continue their review.