South Carolina resumed executions on Friday, putting Freddie Owens to death after a 13-year gap caused by difficulties in acquiring lethal injection drugs. Owens, 46, was convicted of murdering a Greenville convenience store clerk during a 1997 robbery and subsequently killing an inmate while awaiting trial.

Owens’ execution took place at 6:55 p.m. in the Broad River Correctional Institution, where he was strapped to a gurney. His death was marked by shallow breathing and twitching before he was pronounced dead about 13 minutes later. His final appeals, including a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court and a clemency request to Governor Henry McMaster, were denied. McMaster stated he had carefully reviewed Owens’ clemency plea before rejecting it.

Owens’ death was the first execution in South Carolina since 2011. The delay was caused by a shortage of lethal injection drugs, prompting the state to adopt a new execution protocol using the sedative pentobarbital, similar to federal methods. Additionally, the state passed a shield law to keep drug suppliers anonymous, reopening the pathway for capital punishment.

The restart of South Carolina’s death penalty signals the possibility of more executions, as five other inmates are out of appeals and may face execution in the coming months.

Owens’ Crimes and Legal Journey

Freddie Owens was convicted of killing Irene Graves, a mother of three, after she was unable to open the store safe during a robbery. Owens later murdered inmate Christopher Lee while in county jail, a crime for which he provided a detailed confession. Although he received multiple death sentences, Owens successfully appealed twice, yet he remained on death row.

In his final days, Owens’ attorneys argued that there was no scientific evidence linking him to Graves’ murder, claiming the chief testimony came from a co-defendant who later recanted. Despite these efforts, his appeals were dismissed, with prosecutors highlighting testimonies from others who claimed Owens had bragged about the killings.

Resuming Capital Punishment in South Carolina

South Carolina’s death row population has dwindled over the past decade, from 63 inmates in 2011 to 32 today. Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, the state has executed 43 inmates, ranking it among the top states in capital punishment. South Carolina’s path to resuming executions included adopting the firing squad and changing the state’s laws to shield drug suppliers from public scrutiny.

As Owens’ death marks the end of a long hiatus, it raises questions about the future of the death penalty in South Carolina, with more inmates potentially facing execution soon. South Carolinians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty held a vigil outside the prison ahead of Owens’ death, voicing their opposition to capital punishment as the state enters a new phase of legal executions.

Credit: AP