The 57-year-old was dosed twice and was eventually pronounced dead at 6:34 p.m., becoming the sixth inmate executed in the state within the past nine months. He was officially declared dead 28 minutes after the execution began.
South Carolina Executes Man Convicted of Two Separate Murders
Stanko was convicted of killing a friend in Horry County in 2005 and then stealing money from his bank account. Earlier that same day, he had strangled his live-in girlfriend in Georgetown County while raping her teenage daughter. He also slit the girl’s throat, but she managed to survive.
His execution began after a 3½-minute final statement in which he addressed the families of his victims. “I would like to apologise to the people who were hurt by my actions,” Stanko said. “Please don’t judge me by the worst day of my life.” After his words, prison officials administered the first dose of the sedative pentobarbital.
Witnesses said Stanko’s lips quivered and he appeared to say more words before taking several quick breaths. He stopped breathing within a minute. Thirteen minutes later, officials gave a second dose. He was officially declared dead 28 minutes after the execution began.
Concerns Over Execution Method and Final Decision
Stanko had originally considered choosing South Carolina’s recently introduced firing squad method, which had been used for the state’s two previous executions. However, after it was revealed that the bullets in the last firing squad execution nearly missed the inmate’s heart, he opted for lethal injection instead.
His legal team made a final appeal, arguing that autopsy reports from recent executions showed fluid in the lungs of inmates, raising concerns over the lethal injection method. Nonetheless, federal courts denied the appeal.
Just minutes before the execution, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster rejected clemency in a call to prison officials. “A governor has not spared a death row inmate’s life in the previous 48,” a statement read.
Stanko’s case closed a week of heavy capital punishment activity across the U.S.. Similar executions were also carried out in Florida, Alabama, and Oklahoma.