Mikal Deen Mahdi[a] (born March 20, 1983) is an American convicted killer on death row for the murder of a police officer in South Carolina.

Over a period of three days in July 2004, Mahdi, then a resident of Virginia, went on a multi-state crime spree, which included carjacking, firearm robbery and two murders.

Mahdi robbed and killed a 29-year-old convenience store clerk Christopher Jason Boggs in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on July 15, 2004.

While Mahdi was an active student of sorts, he faced disciplinary issues like respect for authority and teachers, and his reading and writing skills were below grade level.

[4][5] On August 23, 1992, Mahdi was involuntarily admitted in a psychiatric facility due to a suicide threat, and was discharged on October 19, 1992, from the Walter P Carter Center.

[6] On July 14, 2004, Mahdi, then 21 years old, stole a .380 caliber pistol from his neighbor, as well as a station wagon and a set of Virginia license plates.

Amy drove to the farm and discovered Myers's burned body lying in a pool of blood at the workshop, and reported the matter to the police.

[10] Similarly, the police in North Carolina issued a warrant of arrest for Mahdi after he was captured on CCTV to be the killer that robbed and shot Christopher Boggs.

Under South Carolina state law, an offence of murder carries either the death penalty or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

[21][22] At one point, Mahdi was discovered to have a homemade handcuff key in his pocket during a routine court search before his trial, and he brought it from his prison cell to the courtroom.

[26] Furthermore, it was revealed in court that at one point in 1998, Mahdi – who was then 15 – pledged to kill a police officer when he was arrested at the end of a nine-hour standoff, which was seemingly fulfilled with the death of Myers.

[29] On December 8, 2006, Justice Clifton Newman sentenced 23-year-old Mikal Deen Mahdi to death for murdering Myers, after he cited that Mahdi lacked any remorse for the murder and pointed out that he only pled guilty after a homemade handcuff key was discovered in his pocket before the trial, as well as his other misbehaviors (including threatening law enforcement officers) which proved that he would not adapt or conform to prison life.

[38][39] Sasser managed to survive the stabbing after he was taken to the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) for treatment,[40] but he developed PTSD and had begun suffering from anxiety attacks, which later led to him being dismissed from his job.

[41] On June 15, 2009, the South Carolina Supreme Court unanimously dismissed Mikal Mahdi's direct appeal against his death sentence.

In a unanimous opinion written by Justice Costa M. Pleicones, the court rejected Mahdi's arguments that he had been punitively given the death penalty due to him changing his mind and pleading guilty right after exercising his right to a jury trial, and the judges agreed that Mahdi was fairly sentenced to death in view of the aggravating circumstances surrounding his case.

[42] In a concurring opinion penned by then Chief Justice Jean H. Toal, she stated that the case of Mahdi was among the most deserving of the death penalty she has seen during her two decades of service as a judge.

The inmates argued that the use of the electric chair and firing squad were unconstitutional, as they could cause unnecessary pain and suffering to the condemned, and amounted to cruel and unusual punishments.

This decision gave rise to the possibility of resuming executions in South Carolina for all the 32 inmates on the state's death row, including Mahdi.

[54][55][56] At the time of this ruling, five condemned inmates – consisting of Mahdi, Freddie Eugene Owens, Richard Bernard Moore, Brad Sigmon and Marion Bowman Jr. – had exhausted all avenues of appeal and hence in line for imminent execution on whichever dates to be determined.

[8][57] Eventually, the 13-year moratorium in South Carolina ended on September 20, 2024, after one of the five inmates, Freddie Owens, was put to death for the murder of a convenience store clerk in 1997.

The other five inmates named on the list were Freddie Eugene Owens, Richard Bernard Moore, Marion Bowman Jr., Steven Bixby, and Brad Sigmon.

[65] However, Bowman's death warrant did not come as scheduled, because prior to this, Bowman and the remaining three condemned prisoners – which included Mahdi – on the execution schedule list had appealed to the South Carolina Supreme Court, asking for their executions to not take place until the end of the winter holiday period, specifically after Christmas and New Year's Day.

Although the state responded to the motion by substantiating that it was not unusual for the state to carry out executions during winter holidays, including five between December 4, 1998, and January 8, 1999,[66] the lawyers representing the four death row inmates submitted a statement in court, "Six consecutive executions with virtually no respite will take a substantial toll on all involved, particularly during a time of year that is so important to families.

"[67] On November 14, 2024, the South Carolina Supreme Court granted the inmates a temporary respite, and agreed to not sign any new death warrants until at least January 3, 2025.