Execution of South Carolina killer Freddie Owens Takes place
Owens’ Crime
At the age of 19, Freddie Owens, now 46, embarked on a killing spree that began on a Halloween night in 1997. His first victim was Irene Graves, a 41-year-old store clerk, during a series of convenience store robberies. Owens, agitated by the slow process of opening the safe, killed Graves. He was consequently convicted of murder in 1999.
Another Death Inside the Prison
While awaiting his sentencing in the Greenville County Detention Center, Owens found another victim in his cellmate Christopher Bryan Lee. Detained on a traffic charge, Lee shared a cell with Owens for a brief period before Owens took his life.
Execution Controversy
Hassled by the shortage of lethal injection drugs, Owens’ execution was delayed for years in South Carolina. However, the state recently secured access to a sedative, pentobarbital, after passing a shield law safeguarding companies that produce and sell the drug. Given the option between lethal injection, electrocution, and firing squad, Owens refrained from choosing, citing it to be a sin in his Muslim faith. This decision was ultimately made by his attorney who chose lethal injection.
Owens’ defense attorneys argued that the death penalty was a disproportionately severe punishment for his crimes, but the South Carolina Supreme Court rejected these claims and declined to halt the execution. State Governor Henry McMaster decided to review a potential grant of clemency on the day of the execution, although it is important to note no South Carolina governor has ever reduced a death sentence to life imprisonment.
Irene Graves: A Life Cut Short
Irene Graves was a single mother of three children. To provide for her family, she held three jobs. She was working the night shift at the old Speedway on Laurens Road when Owens robbed the store and ended her life. Irene’s daughter, Ensley Graves-Lee, was just ten when her mother was killed. She and her siblings have remained close, shaped by their mother’s hard work and determination.
Christopher Bryan Lee: A Life Lost in the Detention Center
Christopher Bryan Lee was imprisoned at the Greenville County Detention Center over a traffic charge when he became Owens’ second victim. Court records reveal a chilling confession by Owens, detailing his brutal assault on Lee. Lee’s family voiced their frustration at the long, agonizing wait for justice following Bryan’s murder and expressed their eagerness to finally see the end of this tragic saga.
