Sat Sep 21 11:22:17 UTC 2024: ## South Carolina Executes First Death Row Inmate in 13 Years
**Greenville, SC** – Freddie Owens, 46, was executed by lethal injection on Friday evening in South Carolina, marking the state’s first execution in 13 years. Owens was convicted in 1999 for the murder of Irene Graves, a 41-year-old mother of three, during a robbery in 1997.
Owens’s appeal for clemency was rejected by Governor Henry McMaster, and the Supreme Court denied a stay of execution. He made no final statement before his death.
Owens was convicted based on the testimony of his codefendant, Steven Golden, who claimed Owens was the gunman who shot Graves during the robbery. Golden has since recanted his testimony, but his initial statement was crucial to the conviction.
The execution was the first of five scheduled in the United States this week, with 14 executions having taken place across the country this year. The death penalty remains a controversial issue in the US, with 23 states abolishing it and six others having moratoriums in place.
First Piper 