The execution started at 6:35 pm (ET), and at 6:53 pm, a physician checked for Owens’ pulse and pronounced him useless at 6:55 pm, in keeping with state officers.Owens, wearing a inexperienced jumpsuit, had an IV in his arm. He declined to make a last assertion however mouthed phrases to his legal professional and mentioned “bye” in his last second of consciousness, in keeping with a Fox information report. Members of the family of the sufferer, Irene Graves, have been current throughout the process.
Owens was executed utilizing a single drug, pentobarbital, which South Carolina obtained beneath a defend legislation handed in 2023 that protects the identities of these concerned in execution planning and implementation.
His last meal included cheeseburgers, a ribeye steak, wings, french fries, strawberry sodas, and apple pie.
An official, as quoted by Fox Information, mentioned, “The case of South Carolina in opposition to Freddie Owens is full.”
The Supreme Court docket denied Owens’ emergency attraction for a keep of execution, and governor Henry McMaster refused mercy on Friday. Earlier on Thursday, the state Supreme Court docket rejected a brand new affidavit from Owens’ co-defendant, Steven Golden, who claimed Owens was not current throughout the theft and killing. This affidavit contradicted Golden’s earlier testimonies and statements to legislation enforcement.
Attorneys of Owens sought a keep of execution, citing due course of violations, arguing that he was not supplied details about the deadly injection medication or the {qualifications} of the execution group.
Owens’ execution was the primary deadly injection carried out by South Carolina because the state regained entry to the required medication after almost a decade of provide shortages.
Owens was 19 when he killed Graves throughout a theft on Halloween night time in 1997. He was convicted in 1999, and throughout the 24-hour interval earlier than sentencing, he killed his cellmate, Christopher Bryan Lee.
Owens had confessed to the homicide of Graves to a number of people, together with legislation enforcement officers and his girlfriend. He was given the choice of selecting between deadly injection, the electrical chair, and a firing squad, however his legal professional, Emily Paavola, chosen deadly injection on his behalf.
Lawyer Gerald “Bo” King known as Owens’ loss of life “a tragedy” and maintained that Owens didn’t kill Graves. King added, as quoted by CNN, “The authorized errors, hidden offers, and false proof that made tonight attainable ought to disgrace us all.”
Owens’ execution was initially scheduled for June 2021 however was delayed because of points with South Carolina’s execution protocols. This 12 months, 14 folks within the US have been executed, all however one by deadly injection.
