Freddie Owens: South Carolina Executes First Inmate in 13 Years

UNPRECEDENTED EVENT IN SOUTH CAROLINA

South Carolina state has carried out its first execution in 13 years. Freddie Owens, a convicted death-row inmate has been executed through lethal injection. The 46-year-old was found guilty of the crime involving the murder of Irene Graves, a local shop worker, during an armed robbery in Greenville in 1997.

Execution Despite the Co-defendant’s Statement

Matters took an intriguing turn when, earlier this week, Owens’ co-defendant signed a sworn statement asserting that Owens was not present at the site of the robbery or the subsequent murder. Despite this, The South Carolina Supreme Court did not intervene to stop the scheduled execution. They reasoned this decision by highlighting the inconsistency between the newly surfaced claims and the declarations made during the trial.

The Final Moments

Owens’ life was ended at Broad River Correctional Institute in Columbia, South Carolina, on Friday evening. Administering the lethal drug called pentobarbital, he was declared dead at 18:55 local time (22:55 GMT). No final words or statement were recorded from Owens.

Owens’ Background and Criminal Record

The execution brings an end to a period of inactivity in capital punishment executions due to the state’s inability to procure the necessary drug for lethal injections. Owens was initially sentenced to death in 1999, two years after the murder of Graves. His sentence was for multiple charges, including murder, armed robbery, and criminal conspiracy. In a shocking turn, the day after the conviction, Owens reportedly murdered his cellmate in jail.

Information emerging from Owens’ trial points to the events from the crime in 1997. At the time, Owens, aged 19, and his accomplice, Steve Golden, 18, reportedly held Irene Graves at gunpoint during an attempted robbery at the convenience store she was employed in. Owens allegedly shot and killed her for failing to open a safe located beneath the counter. At the time of her tragic death, the mother of three was 41 years old.

Attempts to halt the Execution

The legal representation for Owens made several attempts to halt his execution, including two notable efforts in September alone. However, each request was denied by the court. The focal point of the more recent requests was an affidavit penned by Golden on Wednesday, asserting Owens’ innocence. Regardless, the court denied the stay of execution, citing inconsistencies between the claims made in the new affidavit and Golden’s testimony from Owens’ 1999 trial and statements given to the police after their arrest. Prosecutors buttressed their stance by divulging testimonies from other witnesses, revealing that Owens himself had admitted to shooting Graves.

Owens’s Mother Pleas for Clemency

Appeals were also made by anti-death penalty advocates, and Owens’s mother requesting clemency from the state. However, these pleas were rejected by Governor Henry McMaster. Hours before her son’s execution, Owens’s mother famously characterized the capital punishment as “a grave injustice that has been perpetrated against my son”.

A pivotal feature of South Carolina’s execution law states that inmates can make a choice between death by lethal injection, electric chair, or firing squad. Owens chose to defer this decision to his legal counsel, who then opted for lethal injection, according to local news outlet. Several journalists who witnessed the execution revealed that family members of the slain Irene Graves were also present.

Looking Forward

Freddie Owens’ execution raises important questions about the future of capital punishment in South Carolina and the country as a whole, as it marks the first execution after a 13-year hiatus in the state. His case has stirred up the continuous debate on the effectiveness, ethics, and humanity of capital punishment, with no definitive conclusion in sight.