South Carolina executed 46-year-old Freddie Owens on September 20, 2024, marking the state’s first execution in 13 years.
Convicted in 1999 for the murder of shop worker Irene Graves during a 1997 armed robbery in Greenville, Owens’ execution was carried out at the Broad River Correctional Institute. He received a lethal injection of pentobarbital and was pronounced dead at 6:55 p.m. local time.
Despite a last-minute affidavit from Owens’ co-defendant, Steve Golden, claiming Owens was not present during the crime, the South Carolina Supreme Court refused to halt the execution.
The court found Golden’s recent claims inconsistent with his testimony from the original trial, where he stated that Owens shot Graves after she failed to open a safe. Prosecutors cited multiple witnesses who testified that Owens had admitted to the murder.
Owens’ lawyers made several appeals citing the new evidence, but these were denied, as the court maintained that Golden’s recent statements contradicted his prior testimony. Governor Henry McMaster also denied clemency requests from Owens’ mother and anti-death penalty advocates.
Notably, inmates in South Carolina can choose their method of execution; Owens deferred the decision, leading his lawyer to opt for lethal injection. Family members of Irene Graves were present during the execution.
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