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‘As fragile as a child’: South Carolina death row inmate’s letters show haunted man

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‘As fragile as a child’: South Carolina death row inmate’s letters show haunted man



Freddie Eugene Owens is set to be executed on Friday, Sep. 20, making him the first person to be killed by the state in South Carolina in the last 13 years. This is his story.

A deeply troubled South Carolina inmate scarred by a traumatic childhood wrote letters on death row that at times threaten the ones he loves in chilling terms and at others show a vulnerable man who describes himself as being “fragile as a child.”

The inmate, Freddie Eugene Owens, is set to be executed by lethal injection on Friday in South Carolina. If it moves forward, it will be the state’s first execution in 13 years and the 14th execution in the nation this year. It’s also the first of five executions the United States is carrying out in a six-day period between Sept. 20 and 26.

Owens, 46, was sentenced to death after being convicted of killing 41-year-old Irene Graves during a convenience store robbery on Halloween night in 1997. Owens, who was 19 at the time, has always maintained his innocence and fought his death sentence.

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“(I’m) labeled as a ‘thug,’ ‘killer,’ ‘robber,’ and a person without remorse for the weak, but they’re wrong. I’m as fragile as a child,” Owens wrote in a letter to a woman he loved in 1998. ”People seem to forget one thing about us ‘brothers’ who are locked up, just because we’ve made mistakes and are accused of crimes or violence. We have souls and feelings − but most important we are also human.”

As Owens’ execution fast approaches, USA TODAY is looking at who he is, what he did and how he’s fighting the ultimate punishment.

A fateful October night

On a fateful Halloween night in 1997, Owens and another man, Stephen Andra Golden, robbed a convenience store in Greenville, South Carolina, according to court documents.

During the robbery, 41-year-old Irene Graves was shot in the head after she had told the men that she could not open the store safe. Graves was a single mother of three who worked three jobs to provide for her children.

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Surveillance footage did not clearly show who fired the shot that killed Graves. Owens maintained he was at home in bed at the time of the robbery.

Prosecutors showed surveillance footage of the store, and Golden testified that Owens was the shooter. Golden reached a plea agreement with prosecutors to testify against Owens in order to avoid the death penalty, according to Owens’ attorneys. His murder charge was reduced to voluntary manslaughter and he was sentenced to 28 years in prison.

As for Owens, he said his conviction led him to kill his cellmate while awaiting sentencing, telling officials: “I really did it because I was wrongly convicted of murder.”

Who is Freddie Eugene Owens?

Owens’ childhood was filled with neglect, abuse, trauma and psychological difficulties.

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Owens’ older sister, Marie Owens, said their father was an extremely violent person − physically, verbally and emotionally − to her, Owens, and their mother, according to court filings from 2016 seeking a reduced sentence for Owens.

“There was nothing he wouldn’t do to hurt my mother,” Marie Owens said. “He hit us all the time with whatever was closest at hand. A stick, a bat, a beer can, a drop cord, a belt … whatever … until we bled.”

Marie Owens added that the children ended up being taken to a group home by state officials after she was beaten so hard with an extension cord that she bled profusely.

“They had been left alone at home in a house with no food and no electricity and removed for physical neglect” when Owens was 5 years old, according to a report written by Stacey Wood from the psychology department at Scripps College

Owens’ mother, Dora Diane Mason, recounted how Owens’ father abused him as a child.

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“I remember a time when Freddie was about 1 year old – he was very small – that his father got mad at him and whooped him and shook him so hard,” Mason said. “After he stopped and I was able to get Freddie, I couldn’t get Freddie to stop crying no matter how I tried.”

Today, Owens has chosen to go by a different name − Khalil-Divine Black Sun-Allah − after converting to Islam in prison.

Freddie Owens in letters: ‘Betrayers will be slayed’

In Owens’ letters, obtained by USA TODAY, he lamented his life and the way the world brought him up.

“I wasn’t born or raised this way and I can’t blame society, but I say that living in this world for 19 years has to be the worst mistake I’ve made,” Owens wrote. “I’d wish I knew before I came, that this world is corrupt and full of hate.”

His writings also show a more sinister side, one that threatens those he says he loves. He writes to a woman named Aisha about his love for her but also threatens her after learning she was pregnant by another man.

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“I said I was gonna kill the baby, you and that (expletive). You know the things I’ve done, you know what I’m capable of doing, so why do you tend to play these (expletive) games with me?” Owens wrote in 1998. “Don’t let it be true or you try to abandon me, cause betrayers will be slayed, then I can come to jail for a reason. I don’t need this but I can use a couple of bodies under my belt.”

His tone flips on a dime in the same letter. He signs it by writing: “Love you always. Death will be the only thing to separate us.”

A punishment too harsh

Owens’ attorneys cites his client’s childhood as a major reason he doesn’t deserve the death penalty. They also cite his age at the time of the crime − 19 − and say that he suffered organic brain damage, all rendering the death penalty a disproportionate punishment, they say.

In response to the defense’s argument in a filing on Wednesday, the state said the attempts by Owens and his attorneys to stop his execution were baseless.

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“A stay at this time would only result in unwarranted delay in carrying out the sentence that every sentencer has found appropriate for this petitioner – death,” the filing said.

The day after that filing was the deadline for Owens to choose his method of execution: electric chair, firing squad or lethal injection.

Saying his religious forbade him from choosing the way he’d die, his attorney, Emily Paavola, chose lethal injection.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

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Nancy Mace’s foul-mouthed airport tirades roil race for South Carolina governorship as rival slams ‘spoiled brat’

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Nancy Mace’s foul-mouthed airport tirades roil race for South Carolina governorship as rival slams ‘spoiled brat’


New disclosures of a foul-mouthed tirade by Rep. Nancy Mace in the Charleston airport have roiled the South Carolina governor’s race and ignited angry accusations between the lawmaker and one of her competitors in the Republican primary.

Her rival, state AG Alan Wilson, called Mace a “spoiled brat” who treats cops like “servants,” at a time when the two of them are furiously competing for support from voters – and President Trump.

Mace back in August called herself “Trump in high heels” and acknowledged “I would really like his support for governor.” So far, Trump hasn’t given it – to anybody.

An investigative report by the Charleston Airport Authority quotes police officers and TSA agents who say Rep. Nancy Mace used foul language while trying to get expedited security processing FOIA via Charleston Regional Aviation Authority

Mace this week slammed an internal Charleston Airport Authority investigation that probed her profanity-laced “spectacle” Oct. 30, when Mace chewed out police officers and TSA agents over expedited security for her outbound flight, after a planned VIP escort fell through.

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New details are still coming to light – including an earlier incident in April where Mace allegedly blew up at agents who wouldn’t let her bring a family member through expedited security, according to the investigation report. 

“This is the only airport that gives me s–t,” she complained, according to one of the numerous law enforcement officers interviewed as part of the probe.

The investigative report was obtained by The Post through a public documents request.

One interviewed TSA agent quotes Mace as telling a cop following the botched Oct. 30 escort for her arrival at an airport gate, “I’m sick of your s–t, I’m tired of having to wait.”

Another officer, an explosives tech, described Mace as being “very nasty, very rude.” She said she could hear Mace calling police officers “f–king idiots” and “f–king incompetent” and stating that she was a “f–king representative.”

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“This is the only airport that gives me s–t”, Mace said, according to testimony in the report AP

Yet the airport was “not busy at all” at the time of the incident, the officer said.

A TSA agent said during the interaction Mace “literally was on that phone talking and texting her life away” as well as “saying rude things,” according to the investigative report.

One TSA officer who had been at the airport 23 years told investigators “every VIP or whomever, dignitary, that we’ve been across and had to deal with, we never, never had this problem.”

Mace hired an attorney and threatened weeks ago to sue the airport over the October incident, but has yet to do so.

One officer noted that the airport was not crowded the morning of Oct. 30 when Mace had her meltdown FOIA via Charleston Regional Aviation Authority

The report revealed the April confrontation when agents wouldn’t let Mace bring a family member through expedited security. TSA later let her take family members with her when she got screened.

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“I thought that the way she acted showed a sense of entitlement – [that] she is entitled to special protection, she is entitled to special treatment. When she doesn’t get special treatment, she throws a tantrum. To me that harkens back to a child not getting their way,” Wilson told The Post in an interview.

“These are public servants, not personal servants,” he said of law enforcement at the airport.

State AG Alan Wilson said Mace was behaving like a “spoiled brat,” and is challenging Mace in a fierce race for governor of South Carolina. AP

Mace told CNN in an interview this week the report had been “falsified,” without providing evidence. In response to Wilson’s “brat” comment, she wrote: “Imagine being ‘Attorney General’ and flying 500 miles for the sole purpose of dismissing death threats against a single mom.”

She told The Post she has received numerous credible death threats, and said on Friday a judge denied bond to a man accused of making online threats against her. She said during the April incident TSA had violated its own policy allowing federal officials to bring a guest and separated her from her child.

Mace has been taking her case to the airwaves in a week where she trashed the House Republican leadership in a Washington Post op-ed.

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A consultant to Mace’s campaign, Austin McCubbin, resigned Dec. 1, accusing her of turning her back on MAGA and trying to “hug the political cactus that is the [Sen.] Rand Paul [and Rep.] Thomas Massie wing of the Party.”



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A Stronger Rail Network Is a Win for South Carolina’s Economy – FITSNews

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A Stronger Rail Network Is a Win for South Carolina’s Economy – FITSNews


“The combined rail system would offer the reliability our business community has been asking for…”


by NATHAN BALLENTINE

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For as long as I’ve served in the South Carolina House, I’ve believed that strong infrastructure is the backbone of a strong economy. Whether talking about roads, bridges, broadband, or freight mobility, our ability to efficiently move people and goods determines how competitive our state will be in the decades ahead. South Carolina continues to grow at one of the fastest rates in the country, and with that growth comes a responsibility to ensure our logistics network can meet the demands of modern commerce.

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That is why the proposed merger between Union Pacific (UP) and Norfolk Southern (NS) deserves thoughtful consideration, not just at the national level, but here at home. South Carolina’s economic success is directly tied to reliable freight transportation. From advanced manufacturing in the Upstate, to the distribution and warehousing centers in the Midlands, to the countless businesses that depend on steady supply chains, every region of our state relies on a freight system that works smoothly and predictably.

When freight rail is fragmented across multiple networks, bottlenecks and delays become far more common. Businesses, especially those operating with tight production schedules and narrow delivery windows, feel the impacts immediately. A delayed railcar can throw off inventory planning, disrupt operations, and create ripple effects that stretch across an entire supply chain. These unpredictable slowdowns can be enormously costly for the companies that keep South Carolina’s economy moving.

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The Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger aims to address many of these longstanding challenges. By creating a unified network connecting more than 50,000 miles of track and linking 43 states with over 100 ports nationwide, the combined rail system would offer something our business community has been asking for: reliability. Studies indicate the merger could generate approximately $1 billion in annual cost savings and improve freight-car velocity by around 10 percent. These aren’t abstract figures, they reflect tangible improvements that would strengthen operations for employers, distributors, retailers, and consumers alike.

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“Economic development teams would also have an even stronger pitch when attracting new employers to South Carolina…”

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A more dependable rail network means companies can plan with greater precision, suppliers can manage logistics with fewer surprises, and transportation partners can commit to schedules with increased confidence. Economic development teams would also have an even stronger pitch when attracting new employers to South Carolina: not just a skilled workforce and business-friendly climate, but a transportation network capable of supporting long-term growth.

Improved rail performance also benefits South Carolina’s infrastructure more broadly. Rail is one of the most efficient ways to move goods long distances. Every shipment that travels by rail instead of truck reduces congestion on our highways, lowers fuel costs, and decreases wear and tear on roads that taxpayers ultimately fund. Better rail capacity complements, rather than replaces, our ongoing efforts to invest in roads and bridges across the state. It allows us to stretch transportation dollars further and focus on the improvements most needed in fast-growing communities.

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Another important factor is competitiveness. States across the Southeast are aggressively investing in logistics infrastructure to position themselves as national leaders in manufacturing and distribution. If South Carolina wants to stay ahead, and continue attracting companies that create stable, high-quality jobs, we must support improvements that strengthen the reliability and efficiency of our freight network. The Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger presents an opportunity to do just that.

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RELATED | SOURCES: S.C. LAWMAKERS THREATEN SUPREME COURT

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As someone who has spent nearly two decades advocating for responsible, forward-looking growth in our state, I believe that modernizing our freight system is not just a transportation issue, it is an economic necessity. Ensuring that goods can move quickly, safely, and predictably is fundamental to the success of our businesses and the financial well-being of South Carolina families.

Federal regulators will ultimately determine the path forward, and their review should be thorough and transparent. But from where I sit, the potential benefits to our state are clear. A more integrated, efficient rail system will help South Carolina businesses compete, help consumers by keeping costs lower, and help our state maintain the strong economic momentum we’ve built over the past decade.

A stronger rail network means a stronger South Carolina, and that is a future we should fully support.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Nathan Ballentine (Provided)

Nathan Ballentine represents the citizens of House District 71 in the S.C. General Assembly.

***

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LIVE: SC AG Alan Wilson, state, national leaders hold press conference on statewide drug busts

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LIVE: SC AG Alan Wilson, state, national leaders hold press conference on statewide drug busts


Statehouse Reporter Mary Green will have more on this tonight.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – South Carolina Attorney General and other officials will be holding a press conference Friday at 9:30 a.m. to talk about statewide drug busts.

Wilson is set to be joined by South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel, representatives from the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security, as well as several local sheriffs and other law enforcement partners.

Watch the full press conference in the video above.

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