First Inmate Executed in South Carolina in 13 Years after Delays in Execution Process: Freddie Owens | US News
After a 13-year unintended pause on executions in South Carolina, inmate Freddie Owens has been put to death.
Since 2011, prison officials had struggled to obtain the necessary drugs for lethal injections used in executions.
As a result of the unintentional execution pause, South Carolina’s death row population has decreased significantly.
In early 2011, the state had 63 condemned individuals. Following Owens’ execution on Friday, the number has dropped to 31.
Approximately 20 people have been removed from death row and received different prison sentences after successful appeals, while others have passed away from natural causes.
Owens was found guilty of killing a convenience store clerk during a robbery in Greenville in 1997.
During his trial, Owens also murdered a person while incarcerated at a county jail.
His confession to that crime was presented to two separate juries and a judge, all of whom sentenced him to death.
Owens, aged 46, did not make a final statement before his execution.
For his last meal, he requested two cheeseburgers, french fries, a well-done ribeye steak, six chicken wings, two strawberry sodas, and a slice of apple pie.
When Owens was brought into the death chamber, he was secured to a gurney with his arms stretched to his sides.
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After the lethal drug was administered, Owens said “bye” to his lawyer and she reciprocated the farewell.
He displayed a slight smile and his facial expression remained relatively unchanged before he appeared to lose consciousness after approximately a minute.
Subsequently, his eyes closed and he took several deep breaths.
His breathing became shallow and his face twitched for another four or five minutes before the movements ceased.
A doctor entered and pronounced him dead a little over 10 minutes later at 6:55pm.
Owens’ last-minute appeals were consistently denied, including by a federal court on Friday morning.
