Category: News

The parents of a disabled boy with a life-threatening heart condition say they are in a race against time to save his life after the NHS allegedly refused to perform surgery on their son. 

Louis Dagger was born on March 1, 2021 with DiGeorge syndrome, a condition caused when a small part of chromosome 22 is missing, which led to a congenital heart defect.

The now four-year-old underwent surgery at Bristol Children’s Hospital aged just six months in a procedure which went two-thirds of the way to fully repairing his heart.

Despite the success of the procedure, Louis suffered a cardiac arrest four months later after developing sepsis when his feeding tube malfunctioned and his medication stopped being absorbed. He was left with a hypoxic brain injury and developed critical care myopathy.

Louis was discharged to his home with his parents, Ian and Helen, and five older siblings in Merthyr Tydfil after a 17-month long stay in hospital. He does daily physiotherapy at home and has regained some movement in his arms and head, and is advancing well neurologically.

But, after a relatively healthy two years, Louis contracted H1N1 avian flu and, when doctors at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff carried out tests, they discovered that the plastic conduit fitted during Louis heart surgeries had narrowed as he had grown.

Louis mother, Helen, said this had been planned for, and it was part of Louis surgical plan for it to be upsized.  

She said doctors then contacted Bristol Royal Hospital, who are experts in cardiology, to discuss further surgery. But, the hospital declined to carry out the surgery – a decision Helen believes is down to Louis neurological disability.

Now, she and her family are desperately trying to raise the necessary funds to pay for the surgery themselves either in the UK or the US in a race against time to save Louis life.

‘From the moment he was born, Louis has been fighting for his life’, she said. ‘He had surgery in 2021 at Bristol Children’s Hospital which was two-thirds of the way to fully repairing his heart. At the time, the consultants were happy with how it went. They told us there was no reason why Louis could not go on and lead a healthy and normal life.

‘After the repair in 2021, he had a cardiac catheterisation to check the outcome, and that was when they told us it had exceeded expectations, and he had his NG tube fitted in Bristol. Unfortunately, no one in Cardiff or Merthyr were familiar with it and it failed. His medication stopped working and he went into septic shock.

‘He had a cardiac arrest in 2022, a few weeks before his birthday. Cardiff were brilliant and they pulled out all the stops to save him. We were there on our knees begging them to save him.

‘His heart recovered really well and was back to pre-arrest state within 48 hours but unfortunately, he had a hypoxic brain injury as a result and developed critical care myopathy. We do daily physiotherapy at home now and he has regained some movement in his arms, and he can now turn his head.

‘Over time, he has really developed neurologically. He’s very cheeky and has a social smile and is doing well. He was finally getting to experience a life that every child deserves.

‘He contracted H1N1 and the doctors at Cardiff carried out an Echocardiogram (Echo) saw there had been some significant narrowing in conduit in his heart. They called Bristol and said we needed to go there because they are experts in cardiology.

‘But Bristol told them no and said there were no more plans for surgery for Louis. They’re attitude totally changed after the stroke – they used to say there was nothing they wouldn’t do for Louis and always told staff in Cardiff to pull out all the stops.

‘We were completely unaware of all this until Louis became poorly with the flu. We were told just before Christmas and we feel we’ve been kept at arms length with updates. We aren’t getting answers we have been chasing, we can’t get a discussion going and they have cancelled meetings with us. We honestly don’t know who is leading the decisions now.’

A meeting has since been arranged with both Cardiff and Bristol hospitals, set to be held next week. 

‘We just feel they have just sent him home to die when there is a treatment available’, Helen added. 

‘He’s come through so much, and he’s so strong and happy and content. Louis is not just a medical case, he is a beloved son, a brother, a fighter, and a little boy who has already proven his strength time and time again.’

Louis family are now trying to raise the funds for the surgery with a JustGiving page, while dad Ian has even signed up for a charity comedy night.

At the time of writing, just over £800 had been raised.

‘Louis is doted on by his siblings’, Helen said. ‘We have an 11-year-old boy and they are thick as thieves – they are always together.

‘The kids were brilliant when it all happened at Christmas. We have always been honest with them and they have kicked into gear to help with fundraising. But it is very, very difficult as parents. We are shattered.

‘Ian is working flat out to raise funds and awareness. He’s even signed up to do a charity comedy night, which is totally out of character.

‘All we are asking is for donations for a child who has been doing really well and is a much-loved member of a large family. Any funds raised will go towards Louis’s fight for life and surgery either in this country or abroad.

‘Everything we do with him; every nice memory and every nice smile hangs over you. You just can’t switch off and be with him and enjoy him as you always worry that it could be the last time.

‘Louis is full of love, laughter, and an unbreakable spirit. He deserves to grow up in his family’s arms, surrounded by those who cherish him’.

Dr Rebecca Maxwell, Chief Medical Officer for University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘We will always act in the best interests of our patients. Compassion, dignity and respect are at the heart of every decision we make about the right approach to treatment for those in our care. It would not be appropriate to go into specific details regarding Louis.’

MailOnline has contacted Cardiff and Vale University Health Board for comment.

You can find the JustGiving page here. 

It is the kind of story that can make headlines and quickly disappear: A young woman gives birth in a restroom and disposes of the newborn, having denied to herself that she was pregnant. Baby Doe turns one of those stories into an empathetic film that plays like a true crime documentary in which the question is not who did it, but why.

In 1993, Gail Ritchie was 22 years old, living in a rural, conservative area of Ohio, when she gave birth and left her child, which she later said was stillborn, in the woods. The body was quickly found, but it wasn’t until 2019 that DNA identified Ritchie as the mother. She was then charged with murder. Director Jessica Earnshaw met her two years later, and has created a taut film full of startling moments, many from Ritchie herself and some from police video and news reports.

Earnshaw’s first feature was the highly praised Jacinta (2020), a close-up look at a woman grappling with addiction, incarceration and the attempt to rebuild her life. A similar first-hand, sympathetic approach shapes Baby Doe. That intimacy is its greatest strength, as we hear Ritchie explain herself. It is also a limitation, which prevents the issue of pregnancy denial from registering in a way that goes beyond one person. But the film is constantly fascinating as it argues for compassion and understanding rather than harsh judgment about an unthinkable crime.

Earnshaw’s tone is never polemical, but Baby Doe is definitely a work of advocacy, and her strategy of letting Ritchie and the people who judge her speak for themselves is largely effective. The biggest surprise of the film is Ritchie herself, now married to the father of the child she left in the woods, with whom she has three grown children. She is a soft-spoken, church-going middle-aged woman first seen holding her baby grandchild while playing a board game with her family.

The most jaw-dropping moment, early in the film, shows police video of Ritchie’s arrest as she stands in her driveway. When the police ask if she knows why they are there, she calmly answers, “a baby that was left,” the passive voice both chilling in its detachment and convincing in its guilelessness and sincerity.

Video from an interrogation room is even more head-spinning. After she has acknowledged leaving the child, the police investigators ask, “How many other times has this happened?” and she says, “One other time,” two years before. Earnshaw’s unobtrusive style lets that sit, followed simply by text that says the body of the first child was never found, that Ritchie told the police she remembered no noise or movement from either baby, and that because only one body was found she was charged with a single murder.

The film follows Ritche from there through to her trial, with seamless editing that creates an engaging narrative that allies viewers with Ritchie’s point of view. Her husband, Mark, and two of their children are interviewed in their middle-class home, testifying to Ritchie’s gentle nature and ordinary, everyday life. Mark says he was entirely unaware of the births of those first, dead children, but remains supportive.

The most telling and convincing segments are between Ritchie and her lawyers, though. Such conversations are always suspect, as we’re obviously seeing only what the lawyers choose to reveal. But their questions to Ritchie are astute and her responses make it clear that she was in denial about her pregnancy and to some extent seems detached from it even as she goes to trial.

At times even her lawyers are baffled by her eerily calm responses to their questions.  She took a pregnancy test, which was positive, yet says, “I don’t remember thinking that I was pregnant.” It can be wrenching to hear her. One of her lawyers says, “I need to get my head wrapped around this. This sounds so insane,” which is exactly the position viewers of the film are likely to start with.

Earnshaw’s purpose is to take us beyond that confusion. In one crucial scene, a forensic psychologist tells Ritchie’s lawyer about research on women who refuse to let themselves acknowledge they are pregnant. The psychologist adds an important piece to the puzzle when she says that women who experience this are so troubled they act desperately when they give birth and, because the underlying psychological problem has never been solved, are likely to repeat that behavior.

Ritchie fits that description. She was a member of a church youth group, devout and believing that sex before marriage was wrong, and disassociated herself from the reality of her pregnancies. The psychologist adds ballast, and Baby Doe would have been an even stronger film with a broader message if there had been more of those explanations. And little is said about Ritchie’s first child, a gap in the film.

Ritchie is now in prison and we see the judge as he hands down a mandatory life sentence. He calls her behavior monstrous, while acknowledging the solid, respectable life she has lived since. “I can’t rationalize these two Gail Ritchies,” he says. Maybe he meant to say “reconcile,” but “rationalize” is very much to the film’s point. What Ritchie did is beyond reason, coming from a deep psychological problem that this sharp, emotional documentary exposes.

“Abuse is never deserved; it is an exploitation of innocence and physical disadvantage, which is perceived as an opportunity by the abuser.” – Lorraine Nilon, Breaking Free From the Chains of Silence.

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My son-in-law sent me an article for this post that was titled “Raped by Demons,” along with his comment: “This sounds like one for you.” Even my own family… 🙂

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Mica Miller/ John Paul Miller recap

In May 2004, I wrote {Update:5.8.24} Pastor John-Paul Miller Said Mica, His Wife, Died of Suicide. Friends and Family Think Otherwise. Death Ruled Suicide. The NY Post summarized what happened in Mica Miller’s pastor husband allegedly raped 15-year-old girl, used church as ‘sexual playground’: lawsuit.

Miller has faced national scrutiny ever since his 30-year-old wife was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in North Carolina’s Lumber River State Park on April 27, 2024 — just days after serving him with divorce papers.

Mica’s death was ruled a suicide by the Robeson County medical examiner but her family has pleaded for cops to “deeply” investigate her demise amid allegations the pastor had abused his wife.

She had contacted police several times in the leadup to her suicide to level allegations against her husband — including that he had “groomed” her when she was a teen before they got married in 2017.

The pastor, for his part, has strenuously denied any allegations of grooming and abuse.

Here is a timeline by WBTW News 13.

John Paul Miller is accused of assaulting two underage girls.

John Paul Miller is now accused of raping a 15-year-old girl when he was 19. According to the NY Post:

(MIller) has been accused of raping a 15-year-old girl nearly 30 years ago — and using his church as a “sexual playground,” a new lawsuit claims.

Pastor John Paul Miller, 44, allegedly attacked the girl — only identified as “Jane Doe” — in 1998 while at Sunday school at his father’s church, according to the complaint filed Tuesday in Horry County Circuit Court.

…She claims Miller — the controversial pastor at Solid Rock Church in Myrtle Beach — assaulted her again years later when she ran into him during a trip to the city in 2023.

The pastor leaned in to give her a hug before suddenly shoving “his hand down her pants touching her genitals without consent,” the suit alleged.

…The alleged victim said she felt “immense guilt” after learning about the death of Miller’s wife last year — and believed if she’d spoken up sooner, she could have prevented more harm.

“She had heard that there were multiple other victims over the years…

He is also accused of molesting a 14-year-old student when he was an uncertified teacher in a repurposed bowling alley. According to WBTW News 13 on March 5, 2025, in Myrtle Beach pastor accused of sexually assaulting 14-year-old girl while teacher at father’s Christian school, new lawsuit says.

With no certified teachers, legitimate coursework or structured academics, the classrooms were carved out of a repurposed bowling alley were incomplete, with uneven, slick floors.

…She barely had time to react before JPM’s hands moved down her back, past her waist and under her clothing and touching her bare butt,” the lawsuit says.

The victim wasn’t sure what to do, so reported the action to a teacher. From there, she was sent to Reginald Wayne Miller’s office, where John-Paul was waiting as well.

“RWM demanded she repeat her accusation with his son standing beside him. Jane Doe #2’s voice waved, and she told the truth,” the lawsuit says.

After shouting to her not to lie about his son, Reginald Wayne Miller forced the girl to write “I will not lie about John-Paul Miller” 5,000 times.

Raped by demons for reading Harry Potter?

According to WBTW News 13 in Raped by demons:’ Myrtle Beach pastors accused of sexual, psychological abuse.

Jane Doe #2 says when she brought a Harry Potter book to school, she was called into the office where “[t]hey berated her, called her a servant of Satan and told her that if she continued down this path, she would be raped by demons. Then, right in front of her, they set the book on fire. [Reginald Wayne Miller] then beat her with a Bible and Poured water over her head. She was sixteen years old.”

The lawsuit may be read in its entirety at the above link.

Were both John-Paul Miller and his father guilty of serious sexual misconduct with underage girls?  In summary:

For years, John-Paul Miller… and Reginald Wayne Miller… have presented themselves as devout religious leaders. They built their reputations in the Myrtle Beach community and beyond as men of faith, dedicated to spreading God’s word and training future church leaders. But this image was a lie. Behind their religious facade, John-Paul Miller and Reginald Wayne Miller engaged in sexual abuse and predatory conduct — often targeting minors. They used their positions of power to manipulate and exploit vulnerable victims while concealing their actions from the public,” the summary section of the lawsuit reads.

…[T]his was not accidental — it was part of a calculated plan to groom victims while simultaneously gaining the community’s trust and financial support,” the lawsuit reads. “…The Defendan       both individually and together — have built, maintained, and concealed a system of sexual misconduct that harmed numerous minors, including Plaintiff Jane Doe #2.”

The lawsuit accused church leadership of suppressing allegations against John-Paul and silencing victims, “enabling his continued leadership within the church.”

…The Plaintiff states in the lawsuit that she’s in possession of a text “purportedly from [John-Paul Miller] to another person where he admits being in ‘relationships’ with two different fifteen (15) year old girls when he was nineteen (19) years old.”

John Paul Miller’s mother heard rumors about her husband and fears her son has adopted his abusive practices.

Susan Miller, the wife of John Paul Miller’s father, Reginald Wayne Miller, said in a 2007 sworn testimony:

Susan Miller’s 2007 sworn testimony “detailed how [Reginald Wayne Miller] physically and emotionally abused his family and exercised absolute control over both his household and his church congregation,” the lawsuit stated.

Jane Doe’s lawsuit cites Susan’s affidavit again, stating Reginald Wayne Miller’s “obsession with power and control extended beyond his immediate family and into the church, where he engaged in inappropriate relationships with young men and women, many of whom were vulnerable members of the congregation.”

Susan’s testimony states she’d heard “rumors” and “sexual innuendo” regarding her husband, and after WPDE aired a five-part story about Wayne in 1989, in which several young men from his congregation appeared with blurred faces and disguised voices, sharing stories of how “Wayne tried making sexual advances towards them,” Susan says she “became fearful for my children and for [herself].”

“Plaintiff is informed and believes that [Reginald Wayne Miller]’s predatory behavior spans decades and that his son, [John-Paul Miller], learned and adopted his father’s abusive practices,” the court filing says.

Final thought

These new accusations might lead thoughtful people to reconsider the sad death of Mica Miller. Stay tuned.

By LETTICE BROMOVSKY

Published: 23:05 GMT, 7 March 2025 | Updated: 23:43 GMT, 7 March 2025

Cyclones and floods are terrifying and unpredictable. The stress of ensuring your family’s safety, worrying about what might happen and then coping with the aftermath can feel overwhelming.

Some parents are also managing kids and young people through the crisis. You may be worrying about how these events may impact your kids going forward.

The situation is obviously very serious, but there are steps parents can take to protect their children and help them navigate the (now ex-tropical cyclone), flooding and the days that follow.

How we cope matters

Research shows the way we feel (for example, worry, fear, hope, confident) during and after traumatic events, can impact our longer-term mental health and wellbeing.

We might think distress is the most common reaction after a natural disaster. But in many cases, we can experience positive personal growth.

Research shows families do better when they actively work together, helping each other and problem-solving. Finding practical solutions together can give us a sense of control and connection.

Research also suggests if we have feelings of hope and confidence during difficult times, it can build resilience.

One way to help reduce distress is to accept the situation and acknowledge everyone’s emotions all the way through. This also helps build a sense of security and support.

Research also shows extreme reactions – such as fixating on the event/news and becoming highly distressed – or ignoring and suppressing emotions, can make it harder to cope and increase our distress.

So parents, keep calm and carry on

Parents are role models, and in stressful times, children look to us to understand the situation and how to respond.

If parents are visibly upset, fearful or anxious, it can make the situation feel out of control for children.

So while you are understandably experiencing a range of emotions, it’s helpful to process them away from young children. With older children, you can share feelings of sadness or fear, but it’s still important to remain calm to show that everything will be okay.

Sticking to familiar routines helps both you and your child feel safe. It reassures them when life continues. So, go about daily activities as best you can.

Talk things through if you need

This is not to say you should ignore the cyclone or events related to it.

Talking openly about the situation helps children understand what’s happening and gives parents the chance to reassure their kids. There’s no need to go into excessive detail – a calm, simple and factual response is usually the most effective way to comfort them.

All children are different. Some may be naturally anxious or sensitive, while others may pay less attention to what’s happening around them. In general, children are more capable of handling difficult or distressing events than we might expect.

If your child is upset or anxious, it’s important to acknowledge their emotions and listen. Empathise with your child — what has happened is frightening and their response is completely natural.

Parents may feel tempted to dismiss their child’s fears (“don’t think about it!”) to avoid making the situation worse, but emotions don’t work that way. By allowing children to express their feelings, you help them process and move through their emotions.

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Read more:
How to get your kids to talk about their feelings

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Restoring normal life after the storm

Once the cyclone passes, children may still feel unsettled – something big has just happened, could it happen again? It’s possible power and water are cut off, there’s flooding, or the family home is damaged, making things feel strange.

Helping them find ways to feel confident and hopeful can help speed up their recovery. Reassure your child the cyclone is over and keep offering them space to talk about what happened if they wish.

Though keep in mind, it’s important to strike a balance — while it’s helpful to let children express their emotions and connect with you, too much talk about the scary event can increase anxiety and fear.

Find things to do together to keep busy. Simple activities like arts and crafts, cooking together, or spending time outside (if it’s safe) can help restore a sense of normalcy.

If your child seems to be struggling more than expected, consider reaching out to your health professional or your child’s school for further support.

For more support and advice you can contact KidsHelpline on 1800 55 1800 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Jessa (Duggar) Seewald and her husband Ben are expecting their sixth child!

The 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On alum, 32, announced her pregnancy in an Instagram post on Friday, March 7.

“Halfway to holding you in our arms! 💞,” Jessa wrote while holding three black and white ultrasound photos, suggesting she is midway through her pregnancy.

She did not share any additional details about her due date or baby.

Jessa and Ben, are parents to five children: Spurgeon, 9, Henry, 8, Ivy, 5, Fern, 3, and George, nearly 15 months.

George was born on Dec. 19, 2023, after Jessa had experienced a miscarriage the year prior.

“Every heartbeat heard, every ultrasound seen, every appointment with a good report … the worries fade a little bit more,” she captioned the ultrasound of George. “YOU ARE SO, SO LOVED, my little one #rainbowbaby🌈.”

Jessa and Ben married back in 2014 and knew that they wanted to have a big family.

“We both want to have a big family,” she told PEOPLE, adding that they were excited about building a future together filled with kids.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Jessa herself comes from a large family; she is the fifth child and the third daughter of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s 19 children. The family was chronicled on TLC for seven years from 2008-2015 before being canceled.

SANTA MARIA, Calif. — The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office has filed new charges in a case involving a father and son from Santa Maria who were arrested Tuesday for lewd acts against a child.

On Friday, District Attorney John T. Savrnoch filed charges against the son, 34-year-old Allen Lee Pearse, for a series of sexual assaults that allegedly occurred between 2018 and 2024 involving three adult victims. He faces multiple counts of sexual assault of an unconscious person, including rape, sexual penetration, and sodomy.

No charges related to lewd acts against a child have been filed against Allen or his father, 64-year-old Mark Pearse.

Allen Pearse is scheduled for arraignment March 10 at the Santa Barbara County Superior Courthouse in Santa Maria. He and his father remain held without bail at the North County Branch Jail. Mark is being held for felonies related to lewd acts with a minor under 14. Allen is also being held for felonies including lewd acts with a minor under 14 in addition to digital penetration, rape, and sodomy of an unconscious person.

Santa Barbara County sheriff’s detectives began investigating the pair in January 2024 after receiving a report from an adult survivor who was a juvenile when the alleged crimes occurred.

Detectives say the crimes began around 2009 at the Los Pinos Apartments in Orcutt, near Winter Road and Orcutt Road. In January 2025, deputies identified another survivor who reported that Allen had raped her. In February 2025, detectives identified two more survivors who said Allen had raped them.

The Sheriff’s Office expects more survivors to come forward.

“We recognize that we are asking survivors to come forward about something that is difficult and happened a significant while ago,” sheriff’s spokeswoman Raquel Zick said. “We want to gather as much information as we can.”

“We want people to report, but it’s also very important for victims’ mental health that they do so without pressure,” said Sabrina Ross of the North County Rape Crisis Center.

Anyone with information about alleged crimes involving Mark or Allen Pearse is urged to contact Detective Brownlee at 805-681-4150. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling 805-681-4171 or visiting this website.

Support is available through the Victim-Witness Assistance Program at the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office at 805-568-2400 or through the North County Rape Crisis and Child Protection Center.

The body of a 26-year-old missing Bronx woman was found stuffed in a suitcase on Thursday just out New York City.

Pamela Alcantara’s body was found inside a red suitcase floating in a Yonkers creek. Alcantara was last seen on security footage, which shows her entering her Bronx apartment building’s elevator early Sunday. There’s no footage of her leaving.

Police have taken a person of interest in for questioning, according to WABC. The New York Police Department hasn’t released the person’s identity, but WABC and CBS New York both report it is Alcantara’s ex-boyfriend.

“There are no arrests at this time and the investigation remains ongoing,” the NYPD said in a Friday morning statement to The Independent. “The identity of the deceased is pending proper family notification.”

Her cousin, Naysa Peguero, told WABC Alcantara and her mother last spoke on the phone over a week ago.

“‘Mom pray for me,’ she said that to her last Thursday,” Naysa said. “She said, ‘mom, I just want you to pray for me,’ and that was all.”

During that phone call, Alcantara said she’d see her mom at church on Sunday. She never showed up.

Alcantara’s aunt Isa Peguero told WABC she’s certain her ex-boyfriend killed the 26-year-old.

The pair dated for three years before Alcantara recently ended things, according to WABC. Alcantara was in the process of moving out of their shared apartment when she disappeared — her family even bought her a car and helped her find a place to live to ensure she could get out.

“She was supposed to move, and I think he found out,” Isa told the outlet. “He used to put a recorder on the car and recorder in the bedroom so he can know everything what happened, what is she doing?”

“She was a very good girl, sweet, helped anybody,” a relative told CBS New York.

Naysa said Alcantara spent much of her time at work or at church.

“She went to church, she went home, she spoke with her mom on a daily basis and she only spent time with church friends and went to work,” Naysa told WABC.

“I checked her Facebook, I was telling my mom, she doesn’t have any pictures up,” Naysa added. “The only thing she has was her profile picture up. She wasn’t allowed to put any pictures up.”

A firing squad in South Carolina executed Brad Keith Sigmon on Friday for the beating deaths of his ex-girlfriend’s parents, marking the first firing squad execution in the state in modern history and the first in the U.S. since 2010.

Sigmon was strapped to a specially made chair and had a hood over his head while three volunteer corrections staffers aimed loaded rifles at his heart and each fired off live rounds, according to several news media witnesses who spoke at a news conference afterward. He was pronounced dead at 6:08 p.m., the witnesses said.

“Brad’s death was horrifying and violent,” Gerald “Bo” King, Sigmon’s attorney and an execution witness, said in a statement. “It is unfathomable that, in 2025, South Carolina would execute one of its citizens in this bloody spectacle.”

The execution came shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court denied Sigmon’s last remaining appeal, and Republican South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster declined to grant him clemency.

Sigmon, 67, was convicted of the 2001 murders of Gladys and David Larke, who were beaten to death with a baseball bat in their small-town home in northwestern South Carolina. Sigmon, who chose the firing squad over lethal injection or the electric chair, always admitted to killing the Larkes.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I am guilty,” Sigmon told jurors at his trial, according to archived coverage in the Greenville News, part of the USA TODAY Network. “I have no excuse for what I did. It’s my fault and I’m not trying to blame nobody else for it, and I’m sorry.”

During his last words Friday, Sigmon listed four Bible quotes that he said showed that “nowhere does God in the New Testament give man the authority to kill another man.”

“I want my closing statement to be one of love and a calling to my fellow Christians to help us end the death penalty,” Sigmon said through his attorney. “We are now under God’s grace and mercy.”

Sigmon’s ex-girlfriend, Rebecca Armstrong, told USA TODAY − in her first interview in the 24 years since her parents’ murder − that Sigmon’s actions ripped her family apart but that she didn’t agree with his execution, saying death should be in God’s hands.

Here’s what you need to know about Sigmon’s execution, including more about the rare firing squad method and what else his victims’ family has to say.

How the firing squad execution method worked

Sigmon was seated and restrained in a metal chair, a hood over his head, in the corner of a room shared by the state’s electric chair, according to the execution witnesses.

The firing squad team − three voluntary corrections staff − were standing behind a wall with loaded rifles 15 feet from Sigmon. The wall has an opening for the weapons.

A small target was placed over Sigmon’s heart, after which his attorney read his last words, the warden ordered the execution and the team fired, the witnesses said. The bullets all seemed to hit his chest over his heart, said Associated Press reporter Jeffrey Collins.

“It was instantaneous,” Collins said. “When the shots were fired, it was very loud, it was very jarring … I think at that point everyone in the room flinched … There was only one place where I could see any damage so that makes me think they (the bullets) were all clustered.”

Sigmon chose the firing squad over the electric chair or lethal injection, with his attorney citing “prolonged and potentially torturous deaths” caused by the state’s recent execution drug and the barbarity of an “ancient electric chair, which would burn and cook him alive.”

“He chose the firing squad knowing that three bullets would shatter his bones and destroy his heart,” King said Friday. “But that was the only choice he had.”

The state has defended the constitutionality of all its execution methods in court records but the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office has not answered multiple requests from USA TODAY for further comment.

South Carolina firing squad: Is the ‘barbaric’ method making a comeback?

What is the modern history of the firing squad in the U.S.?

Five states − South Carolina, Mississippi, Utah, Oklahoma and Idaho  − have legalized firing squads as an execution method, most recently Idaho in 2023.

The last inmate in the U.S. to be killed by firing squad before Friday was in 2010, when Utah executed Ronnie Lee Gardner for killing a man during a robbery. Both other firing squad executions were in Utah, Gary Mark Gilmore in 1977 and John Albert Taylor in 1996.

Among the witnesses to Gardner’s execution was an Associated Press reporter who said that five volunteer prison staff members fired at him from about 25 feet away with .30-caliber rifles, aiming at a target pinned over his chest as he sat in a chair. One of the rifles had a blank so none of the volunteers knew whether they fired a fatal bullet, AP reported.

King, Sigmon’s attorney, said in a statement ahead of Friday’s execution that with it, “there is no justice.”

“Everything about this barbaric, state-sanctioned atrocity − from the choice to the method itself − is abjectly cruel,” he said. “We should not just be horrified – we should be furious.”

He had argued that Sigmon was a “tortured” man at the time of the killings because of an undiagnosed mental illness that caused “irrational and impulsive episodes,” something he tried to treat with street drugs.

“And that Brad, who was already struggling with organic brain damage and grief from his violent childhood, succumbed to a psychotic break,” King said. “The jury that sentenced him had no idea of how severely compromised his mental health was, or that he was probably incompetent even to stand trial.”

After the execution, he said that in 23 years on Death Row, Sigmon had not committed any violence and “devoted himself every day to prayer and repentance.”

“Brad spent hours kneeling on the floor of his cell so he could write letters to the family and friends for whom he has been a wellspring of love and support,” King said. “Brad’s love for his brothers (on Death Row), his family, his friends, and the men and women who have guarded him is undeniable. It is a shame that South Carolina has not lived up the example that Brad has set for all of us during his final days.”

Who is Brad Keith Sigmon? More about the South Carolina man who chose the firing squad

What was Brad Keith Sigmon’s last meal?

Sigmon’s last meal was fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes with gravy, biscuits, cheesecake and sweet tea, the corrections department said.

King said that Sigmon had requested three buckets of Original Recipe Kentucky Fried Chicken so that “he could feed the men locked up with him” but “that request was denied.”

What was Brad Keith Sigmon convicted of?

On April 27, 2001, Sigmon showed up at David and Gladys Larke’s house with a plan that he hatched while doing crack cocaine the night before: He was going to tie them up and kidnap his ex, he told police.

Instead, he beat the couple to death with a baseball bat, hitting each of them nine times, according to police and a medical examiner’s report. Sigmon kidnapped Armstrong in his car but she jumped out of the moving vehicle and was able to escape, though Sigmon shot her once in the foot before his gun ran out of bullets, according to court records.

Sigmon told jurors at his 2002 trial that he had no excuse for what he did, saying that when Armstrong fell out of love with him, it “set me off,” according to the Greenville News.

“I was obsessed with her,” he told jurors. “Did I love her? More than anything else in the world.”

He continued to tell jurors that the death penalty was probably appropriate in his case, saying: “I hate what I did.”

“Do I deserve to die? I probably do,” he said. “I don’t want to die … I just want to live for my family’s sake.”

Who were Gladys and David Larke? The small-town parents of 5 killed by Brad Keith Sigmon

The Larkes’ family says they were their ‘glue’

Armstrong told USA TODAY this week that her parents were simple country folk who had five children and were always looking out for everyone. Her mom, who was 59 when she was killed, loved cooking up a feast for the whole family. Her dad, who was 62, “had a good heart” who was quick to forgive and ask forgiveness.

“They were the glue of the family,” Armstrong said, adding that they’ve missed the births of some of their eight grandchildren and five great-grand children since they were murdered. “He took that away.”

She did not attend the execution, saying that she was eventually able to forgive Sigmon through God’s love and the counseling of a Christian psychiatrist.

“The Bible tells you, I know it says ‘an eye for an eye’ and ‘a tooth for a tooth’ but if you read on down in there it says, ‘Revenge is not mine, says the Lord, revenge is God’s,” she said. “I don’t think somebody being put to death is gonna bring me closure.”

But, she added, she was hoping it would bring some relief.

”I miss my momma and daddy,” said Armstrong, who had broken up with Sigmon before the killings and has never given an interview about the crimes until she spoke with USA TODAY this week. “I didn’t get to see them grow old. I didn’t get to take care of them. My brothers and sisters, we missed that.”

Sigmon was the second inmate executed in South Carolina this year and the sixth in the U.S.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Firing squad execution: Brad Keith Sigmon executed in South Carolina

Jessa (Duggar) Seewald and her husband Ben are expecting their sixth child.

The 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On alum, 32, announced her pregnancy in an Instagram post on Friday, March 7.

“Halfway to holding you in our arms! 💞,” Jessa wrote while holding three black and white ultrasound photos, suggesting she is midway through her pregnancy.

She did not share any additional details about her due date or baby.

Jessa and Ben, are parents to five children: Spurgeon, 9, Henry, 8, Ivy, 5, Fern, 3, and George, nearly 15 months.

George was born on Dec. 19, 2023, after Jessa had experienced a miscarriage the year prior.

“Every heartbeat heard, every ultrasound seen, every appointment with a good report … the worries fade a little bit more,” she captioned an ultrasound . “YOU ARE SO, SO LOVED, my little one #rainbowbaby🌈.”

Jessa and Ben married back in 2014 and knew that they wanted to have a big family.

“We both want to have a big family,” she told PEOPLE, adding that they were excited about building a future together filled with kids.

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Jessa herself comes from a large family; she is the fifth child and the third daughter of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s 19 children. The family was chronicled on TLC for seven years from 2008-2015 before being canceled.

Read the original article on People