South Carolina death row inmate says judges are led by Satan as court weighs if he is competent for execution

A South Carolina man on death row believes judges who rule against him are guided by Satan and that most laws are unconstitutional, he wrote in handwritten legal papers, as he seeks to avoid being put to death after his execution was delayed earlier this year.

Steven Bixby, 58, was set to die in May for the killing of two police officers before the state Supreme Court stepped in and stopped his execution so it could be determined if he is mentally competent. A lower court was asked to evaluate if his lawyers were unable to defend him because of his beliefs.

A psychologist previously said Bixby understands what led to his death sentence, but that he also believes blood found on his clothes the night of the killings contains the DNA of Jesus Christ.

Bixby was convicted of the 2003 killing of two police officers who came to his home in Abbeville County to discuss a land dispute between his family and a construction crew that had come to widen the road. His parents were also charged with murder but have since died.

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In December of that year, Bixby shot Abbeville County deputy Danny Wilson as the officer knocked on the front door of his parents’ home, a day after they threatened the road crew, according to officials.

Wilson’s dying body was pulled inside the home by the family and restrained with his own handcuffs. The Bixbys then killed state Constable Donnie Ouzts as he and other officers responded to the home because Wilson had been missing for an hour, leading to a 12-hour standoff as officers and the family fired hundreds of shots at each other, investigators said.

Lawyers for Bixby argued at a hearing last month that he is convinced the U.S. legal system is unconstitutional and wrong, and refuses to share information needed to help him avoid execution. Prosecutors contended that Bixby’s anti-government beliefs are shared by others and that he understands why the state wants to end his life.

At the hearing, Circuit Judge R. Scott Sprouse gave Bixby ten minutes to speak and promised a ruling in 30 days, but Bixby later said he was not offered enough time to address the court.

Bixby spent part of his speaking time arguing that Wilson was killed because he was attempting to take his family’s land.

“I’m just tired of this tragedy. This is all over them wanting to steal my parents’ property,” Bixby said.

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Just over a week after the hearing, Bixby submitted handwritten legal papers, which included several unlined phrases such as “miscarriage of justice,” “law demands” and “reversal of conviction.”

“Judge Sprouse gave me 10 minutes to address the court. Thanks!” Bixby wrote sarcastically, adding that the state constitution allows someone accused of a crime to be fully heard on their own or through their lawyer.

“The unconstitutional shrinks were given unlimited psychobabble time to their subjective, unsubstantiated conjecture of theories not based on facts!” Bixby wrote.

While Bixby’s motion includes some legal phrases, it does not offer any reasoning accepted by judges before.

“I’ve proven & the prosecution has admitted through the omission & admission under rule 24a & 55.2 of the charges against them since 12/05/03 (to whom it may concern letter) the Bixbys ‘total innocence.’ Set me free!” he wrote.

Bixby also suggested the judge would commit treason if he failed to stop his execution and free him from custody.

“I am an innocent man!! Let freedom ring & let those committing treason swing!!!” Bixby wrote. “Like Thomas Jefferson: I am standing on principle even if I stand alone.”

Bixby was out of regular appeals when the state Supreme Court halted his execution in March.

The court said that Bixby would be considered competent to be executed under federal law because he understands his crime led to his death sentence, but noted that state law requires an additional finding that death row inmates be able to rationally communicate with their lawyers.

An expert called by Bixby’s lawyers at last month’s hearing said the isolation of prison has only made his beliefs more delusional and that Bixby is stuck in his mindset.

The state’s expert said that while Bixby’s beliefs may make him a difficult client, it does not make him impossible to defend and that he views himself in some ways as a martyr prepared to die for his beliefs.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.