The execution started at 6:35 pm (ET), and at 6:53 pm, a health care provider checked for Owens’ pulse and pronounced him useless at 6:55 pm, in accordance with state officers.Owens, wearing a inexperienced jumpsuit, had an IV in his arm. He declined to make a closing assertion however mouthed phrases to his legal professional and stated “bye” in his closing second of consciousness, in accordance with a Fox information report. Members of the family of the sufferer, Irene Graves, had been current in the course of the process.
Owens was executed utilizing a single drug, pentobarbital, which South Carolina obtained beneath a defend regulation handed in 2023 that protects the identities of these concerned in execution planning and implementation.
His closing meal included cheeseburgers, a ribeye steak, wings, french fries, strawberry sodas, and apple pie.
An official, as quoted by Fox Information, stated, “The case of South Carolina in opposition to Freddie Owens is full.”
The Supreme Court denied Owens’ emergency attraction for a keep of execution, and governor Henry McMaster refused mercy on Friday. Earlier on Thursday, the state Supreme Courtroom rejected a brand new affidavit from Owens’ co-defendant, Steven Golden, who claimed Owens was not current in the course of the theft and killing. This affidavit contradicted Golden’s earlier testimonies and statements to regulation enforcement.
Legal professionals of Owens sought a keep of execution, citing due course of violations, arguing that he was not offered details about the deadly injection medicine or the {qualifications} of the execution workforce.
Owens’ execution was the primary deadly injection carried out by South Carolina for the reason that state regained entry to the required medicine after practically a decade of provide shortages.
Owens was 19 when he killed Graves throughout a theft on Halloween evening in 1997. He was convicted in 1999, and in the course of 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 regulation 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 referred to as Owens’ dying “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 doable 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 yr, 14 individuals within the US have been executed, all however one by deadly injection.
