In South Carolina, inmate Freddie Owens was executed for the 1997 killing of a convenience store clerk during a robbery, marking the state’s first execution in 13 years due to a lack of lethal injection drugs. Owens was also convicted of killing a person incarcerated with him before his death sentence. Owens made no final statement and was put to death using a sedative drug. His last chance to avoid execution was denied by the governor.
South Carolina has restarted its death penalty system, with five other inmates out of appeals and cleared for execution every five weeks. The state added the firing squad as an alternative method for executions and passed a shield law to keep the drug supplier and protocol secret. Owens was allowed to choose how he died, opting for lethal injection.
Owens maintained his innocence, and his lawyers argued that scientific evidence did not prove he pulled the trigger in the clerk’s killing. They also highlighted his difficult childhood and brain damage from prior abuse. Despite these appeals, Owens was executed as planned.
Critics of the death penalty held a vigil outside the prison before Owens’ execution, while his attorneys condemned the legal errors that allowed the execution to proceed. South Carolina has faced challenges in restarting executions after the unintended hiatus, with a dwindling death row population. This case highlights the complexities and controversies surrounding the death penalty in the state.
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