COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — As a judge considers arguments from prosecutors and defense attorneys over whether delusional beliefs about the legal system are enough to keep a South Carolina prisoner from being executed, the inmate himself decided to weigh in with his own handwritten legal papers.
Just weeks before Steven Bixby was set to die earlier this year, the state Supreme Court stopped his execution and asked a lower court to evaluate if his lawyers are unable to defend him because of beliefs Bixby holds, like that most laws are unconstitutional, that citizens have an absolute right to defend their property to the death and that judges who rule against him are guided by Satan.
Bixby, 58, was convicted of the 2003 killing of two police officers who came to his Abbeville home to discuss a dispute between the family and a construction crew that had come to widen the road. His parents were also charged with murder and have since died, but Bixby remains on death row.
Bixby's lawyers argued at a hearing last month that he's so convinced the current U.S. legal system is unconstitutional and wrong, he refuses to share information they need to help him avoid the death chamber. Prosecutors countered that Bixby's anti-government beliefs are not his own individual delusions and are shared by others, and that he understands very well why the state wants to put him to death.
The late August hearing ended with Circuit Judge R. Scott Sprouse giving Bixby ten minutes to speak and promising a ruling in 30 days. But Bixby wasn't done.
A little over a week later, Bixby's handwritten motion was submitted, with dozens of phrases like “miscarriage of justice,” “law demands” and “reversal of conviction” underlined.
“Judge Sprouse gave me 10 minutes to address the court. Thanks!" Bixby wrote sarcastically, asserting that the state constitution allows someone accused of a crime to be fully heard either 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.
Bixby was out of regular appeals and weeks away from an execution date when the Supreme Court stepped in with a 3-2 ruling in March.
The justices said that while Bixby would be considered competent to be executed under federal law because he can link his crime and punishment and knows why he faces the death penalty, state law requires an additional finding that condemned inmates be able to rationally communicate with their attorneys.
Both sides presented experts at last month's hearing. One called by Bixby's lawyers said the isolation of prison has only made his beliefs worse and that Bixby is stuck in a mindset that never grew.
An expert for the state said that while his might make him a difficult client, it doesn't make Bixby impossible to defend, and he views himself in some ways as a martyr ready to die for what he believes.
Bixby's motion uses legal phrases but provide no 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 writes.
Bixby shot Abbeville County deputy Danny Wilson as the officer knocked on the front door of his parents' home in December 2003, a day after they threatened the road crew, authorities said.
They dragged Wilson's dying body inside and restrained him with his own handcuffs. Then they killed state Constable Donnie Ouzts as he as other officers rushed to the home after realizing Wilson had been missing for an hour. That led to a 12-hour standoff as officers and the Bixbys fired hundreds of bullets at each other, investigators said.
At the August hearing, Bixby spent part of his speaking time saying Wilson was killed because he was trying to take the family's land.
“I’m just tired of this tragedy. This is all over them wanting to steal my parents' property," Bixby said.
In his motion to the court, Bixby suggested the judge would commit treason if he doesn't stop his execution and set him free.
“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."
FILE- Two crosses still stand in the front yard Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2007, where Sheriff's Sgt. Danny Wilson and constable Donnie Ouzts were shot outside the house of Arthur and Rita Bixby in Abbeville, S.C. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain, File)
FILE - Steven Bixby, left, talks to his public defender, Charles Grose at the start of his murder trial Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2007, in Abbeville, S.C. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain, Pool, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street closed at another record following a surprisingly strong report on economic growth over the summer. The S&P 500 rose 0.5% Tuesday, beating the all-time high it reached earlier this month. More gains for big tech stocks drove the index higher, even as most stocks in the index fell. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.6%. Novo Nordisk jumped after U.S. regulators approved a pill version of the blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy, the first daily oral medication to treat obesity. Treasury yields rose in the bond market.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are edging closer to records Tuesday following updates that showed the economy grew sharply during the third quarter, but inflation remains high and consumers are losing confidence.
The S&P 500 rose 0.4% and is hovering just above the all-time high it set earlier this month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 91 points, or 0.2%, as of 3:08 p.m. Eastern. The Nasdaq composite rose 0.5%.
A majority of stocks with the S&P 500 were losing ground, but several big technology stocks pushed the market higher. Nvidia rose 2.7% and Google’s parent company, Alphabet, rose 1.4%. They are among several companies with outsized valuations that tend to have more impact on the broader market’s direction.
Novo Nordisk jumped 6.7% after U.S. regulators approved a pill version of the blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy, the first daily oral medication to treat obesity.
Wall Street is getting the latest economic updates during an otherwise quiet holiday-shortened week. Markets in the U.S. will close early Wednesday for Christmas Eve and remain closed for Christmas on Thursday.
The U.S. economy grew at a 4.3% annual rate during the third quarter. That builds on 3.8% growth during the second quarter and marks a sharp turnaround from the first quarter, when the U.S. economy shrank for the first time in three years.
The latest report also showed that stubborn inflation continues to hover over the economy. The Federal Reserve’s favored inflation gauge — called the personal consumption expenditures index, or PCE — climbed to a 2.8% annual pace last quarter, up from 2.1% in the second quarter.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.17% from 4.15% just before the report on gross domestic product for the third quarter was released. The yield on the two-year Treasury, which more closely tracks expectations for Fed actions, rose to 3.53% from 3.49% just prior to the report’s release.
The Fed has been taking a more cautious policy approach amid mixed signals from the economy. Economic growth has been occurring at the same time that inflation remains stubbornly above the central bank's 2% target. The job market is also slowing, adding another layer of concern to whether the central bank should continue cutting interest rates.
On Wednesday, the Labor Department will release its weekly data on applications for jobless benefits, which stands as a proxy for U.S. layoffs.
“The Fed has been balancing off inflation risks versus weakening labor markets and today’s report further complicates their dilemma,” wrote Dominic Pappalardo, chief multi-asset strategist at Morningstar Wealth, in a note to investors.
The Fed has cut interest rates three times in 2025 and the central bank's rate-setting committee is divided about additional rate cuts in 2026. The committee members, at their last meeting, projected a wide range of possibilities from holding rates steady to two or more reductions.
Wall Street expects the Fed to hold rates steady at its upcoming meeting in January.
Consumer spending and confidence has been shaky amid worries about high prices, especially with a wide-ranging U.S. trade war that could drive prices for many goods even higher.
The latest update from business group The Conference Board showed that consumer confidence fell in December to its lowest level since tariffs were rolled out in April. Meanwhile, retail sales have been weakening, with consumers growing more cautious.
Consumers have become more targeted in their buying during the holiday shopping season, according to Visa's Consulting and Analytics division. From Nov. 1 through Sunday, cash and credit card sales rose 4.2%, which is less than the 4.8% increase during the same period a year ago.
Markets were mixed in Asia and Europe.
The price of gold continued rising. It rose 0.8% to $4,505.70 per ounce Tuesday and is up about 70% for the year.
Oil prices were relatively stable after jumping a day prior. U.S. benchmark crude rose 0.6% to $58.38 per barrel. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, rose 0.5% to $62.38 a barrel.
Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.
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