Afrigather Officers in South Carolina executed Freddie Owens by deadly injection Friday, marking the state’s first execution in over a decade. Picture courtesy South Carolina Division of Corrections
Sept. 21 (UPI) — Officers in South Carolina have executed Freddie Owens, convicted within the 1997 homicide of a comfort retailer clerk, marking the state’s first execution in over a decade.
Owens was executed by deadly injection Friday night on the Broad Broad River Correctional Institute in Columbia, S.C.
The 46-year-old was convicted of killing comfort retailer clerk Irene Graves throughout a theft in 1997 in Greenville, S.C.
Family members of the 41-year-old single mom of three witnessed the execution.
Owens was 19 on the time of the homicide and convicted two years later, based mostly partially on the testimony of his co-accused.
He turns into the primary prisoner to be executed in South Carolina in 13 years whereas the state handled years of provide points securing the medicine used to hold out the process.
Authorities pronounced Owens lifeless at 6:55 p.m. EDT Friday, round 20 minutes after the process began. He didn’t make a remaining assertion apart from briefly saying goodbye to his lawyer.
Gov. Henry McMaster, R-S.C., denied a request for clemency made by Owens’ legal professionals.
The State Supreme Courtroom earlier denied to difficulty a keep of execution made hours earlier than the execution.
Days forward of the execution, legal professionals for Owens submitted a sworn affidavit from co-defendant Steven Golden. Golden was given a 30-year sentence for the crime however stated he was pressured by police a long time in the past to call Owens as one who pulled the set off, killing Graves.
Golden swore Owens was not even on the scene of the theft, nevertheless the South Carolina Supreme Courtroom on Thursday denied Owens’ request for a brand new trial.
