New Delhi, Nov. 16 -- South Carolina authorities have executed the accused who killed three in 2004 and scrawled the message "catch me if you can" on a wall in the blood of one of his victims.

A South Carolina firing squad executed Stephen Bryant, 44, on Friday, the state's Department of Corrections said.

Bryant was convicted of killing three people during a crime spree in 2004, and pleaded guilty of the murders committed over five days in a rural area of the state.

Three prison employees bearing live ammunition volunteered to carry out the execution in the state capital Columbia. Bryant was pronounced dead at 6:05 pm on Friday. This is the third incident where a person died by this method in the state this year.

According to a report...