South Carolina Carries Out First Execution In 13 Years

Freddie Owens was executed on Friday, regardless of a reversal from a key witness.

South Carolina put Freddie Owens to demise Friday because the state restarted executions after an unintended 13-year pause as a result of jail officers couldn’t get the medication wanted for deadly injections.

Owens was convicted of the 1997 killing of a Greenville comfort retailer clerk throughout a theft. While on trial, Owens killed an inmate at a county jail. His confession to that assault was learn to 2 completely different juries and a decide who all sentenced him to demise.

Owens, 46, was pronounced useless at 6:55 p.m.

His last-ditch appeals had been repeatedly denied, together with by a federal court docket Friday morning. Owens additionally petitioned for a keep of execution from the U.S. Supreme Court. South Carolina’s governor and corrections director swiftly filed a reply, stating the excessive court docket ought to reject Owens’ petition. The submitting mentioned nothing is outstanding about his case.

The excessive court docket denied the request shortly after the scheduled begin time of the execution.

His final probability to keep away from demise was for Republican South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster to commute his sentence to life in jail. McMaster denied Owens’ request as nicely, stating that he had “carefully reviewed and thoughtfully considered” Owens’ software for clemency.

McMaster mentioned earlier that he would observe historic custom and announce his resolution minutes earlier than the deadly injection begins when jail officers name him and the state lawyer common to ensure there isn’t any cause to delay the execution. The former prosecutor had promised to evaluation Owens’ clemency petition however has mentioned he tends to belief prosecutors and juries.

First execution in 13 years

Owens stands out as the first of a number of folks to die within the state’s demise chamber at Broad River Correctional Institution. Five others are out of appeals and the South Carolina Supreme Court has cleared the best way to carry an execution each 5 weeks.

South Carolina first tried so as to add the firing squad to restart executions after its provide of deadly injection medication expired and no firm was prepared to publicly promote them extra. But the state needed to cross a defend legislation holding the drug provider and far of the protocol for executions secret to have the ability to reopen the demise chamber.

To perform executions, the state switched from a three-drug methodology to a brand new protocol of utilizing simply the sedative pentobarbital. The new course of is just like how the federal authorities kills prisoners, based on state jail officers.

South Carolina legislation permits condemned people to decide on deadly injection, the brand new firing squad or the electrical chair in-built 1912. Owens allowed his lawyer to select how he died, saying he felt if he made the selection he can be a celebration to his personal demise and his spiritual beliefs denounce suicide.

Owens modified his identify to Khalil Divine Black Sun Allah whereas in jail however court docket and jail information proceed to discuss with him as Owens.

The crimes

Owens was convicted of killing Irene Graves in 1999. Prosecutors mentioned he fired a shot into the pinnacle of the only mom of three who labored three jobs when she mentioned she couldn’t open the shop’s secure.

But hanging over his case is one other killing: After his conviction, however earlier than he was sentenced in Graves’ killing, Owens fatally attacked a fellow jail inmate, Christopher Lee.

Owens gave an in depth confession about how he stabbed Lee, burned his eyes, choked and stomped him, ending by saying he did it “because I was wrongly convicted of murder,” based on the written account of an investigator.

That confession was learn to every jury and decide who went on to condemn Owens to demise. Owens had two completely different demise sentences overturned on enchantment solely to finish up again on demise row.

Owens was charged with homicide in Lee’s demise however was by no means tried. Prosecutors dropped the fees with the proper to revive them in 2019 across the time Owens ran out of normal appeals.

Final appeals

In his remaining enchantment, Owens’ attorneys mentioned prosecutors by no means introduced scientific proof that Owens pulled the set off when Graves was killed and the chief proof in opposition to him was a co-defendant who pleaded responsible and testified that Owens was the killer.

Owens’ attorneys offered a sworn assertion two days earlier than the execution from Steven Golden saying Owens was not within the retailer, contradicting his trial testimony. Prosecutors mentioned different pals of Owens and his former girlfriend testified that he bragged about killing the clerk.

“South Carolina is on the verge of executing a man for a crime he did not commit. We will continue to advocate for Mr. Owens,” lawyer Gerald “Bo” King mentioned in a press release.

Owens’ attorneys additionally mentioned he was simply 19 when the killing occurred and that he had suffered mind harm from bodily and sexual violence whereas in a juvenile jail.

South Carolinians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty plans a vigil exterior the jail about 90 minutes earlier than Owens is scheduled to die.

South Carolina restarts the demise penalty

South Carolina’s final execution was in May 2011. It took a decade of wrangling within the Legislature — first including the firing squad as a way and later passing a defend legislation — to get capital punishment restarted.

South Carolina has put 43 folks to demise because the demise penalty was restarted within the U.S. in 1976. In the early 2000s, it was finishing up a median of three executions a yr. Only 9 states have put extra folks to demise.

But because the unintentional execution pause, South Carolina’s demise row inhabitants has dwindled. The state had 63 condemned folks in early 2011. It had 32 when Friday began. About 20 folks have been taken off demise row and obtained completely different jail sentences after profitable appeals. Others have died of pure causes.