South-Carolina

South Carolina Supreme Court ruling lists order six death row inmates will be executed

Published

2 years ago

August 30, 2024

South Carolina Supreme Court ruling lists order six death row inmates will be executed

Three Upstate men on South Carolina’s death row now know the order in which the state will put them to death.

The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled Friday on a petition filed by the men and three others requesting there be at least a 13-week interval between executions. The court responded by setting at least a 35-day minimum between executions.

The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office replied to the inmate’s petition stating there should be “no more than 28 days between executions.” Their reasoning being that a 13-week interval would mean “only two executions could be completed this year” and that “it would take all next year to complete the remaining four.”

A Columbia-based nonprofit advocacy group for inmates, Justice 360, led the inmates in signing the petition. The group declined to comment about the Supreme Court’s decision.

South Carolina last carried out an execution in 2011. Jeffery Brian Motts, 36, of Greenville died via lethal injection.

Here’s the list of inmates expected to be executed in the coming months, all have exhausted their appeals beginning with Freddie Eugene Owens, of Greenville, whose execution has been set for Sept. 20.

More: Greenville deputies suspect a man shot his mother and grandmother before killing himself

Freddie Eugene Owens

On Aug. 23, the South Carolina Department of Corrections gave Owens, 46, notice that he would be executed on Sept. 20.

In 1999, Ownes was convicted of murder in the 1997 Halloween murder of Irene Graves, 41, at a Speedway convenience store. He was sentenced to death.

Owens was originally scheduled to be put to death on June 25, 2021, but he and other death row inmates listed filed a lawsuit that halted the execution.

Owens will have until Sept. 6 to decide his choice of execution.

Richard Benard Moore

Richard Moore, 59, of Spartanburg, was convicted of killing a convenience store clerk in 1999.

Moore received the death penalty on Oct. 22, 2001, after a jury found him guilty of murder for shooting 42-year-old James Mahoney on Sept. 16, 1999, at Nikki’s Speedy Mart in Spartanburg’s Whitney Community.

He was set to be executed in April 2022, but it was also halted because of the lawsuit.

Marion Bowman Jr.

On May 24, 2002, Marion Bowman, 44, was convicted of the murder of KanDee Louise Martin, 21, of Orangeburg.

Bowman was sentenced to death a year later on May 23, 2003.

According to South Carolina Supreme Court documents, Bowman shot and killed Martin on Feb. 17, 2001, then set a car on fire with Martin’s body inside to hide the evidence.

Brad Sigmon

In 2001, Brad Sigmon, 66, of Greenville, was convicted of killing his girlfriend’s parents, David and Gladys Larke. He was placed on death row in July 2002.

He was also sentenced to 30 years in prison for burglary.

Sigmon’s death order was given in April 2022, and execution was set for May 13, 2022, but it was stayed.

Steven Bixby

A Chesterfield County jury gave Steven Bixby, 57, the death sentence in 2007 for the murder of a sheriff deputy and state constable.

In December 2003, Bixby along with his parents, Rita Leona Bixby and Arthur Walls Bixby, shot and killed Abbeville County Sheriff Deputy Danny Wilson and State Constable Donnie Outz.

The shooting occurred after the Bixby family had a dispute with the South Carolina Department of Transportation over the widening of Highway 72. They were upset that a part of their property was to be used for the widening.

Both parents died while in prison.

More: Netflix-star, Greenville-native Rob ‘The Rabbit’ Pitts dies; memorial service details

Mikal Mahdi

Mikal Mahdi, 41, was a resident of Virginia when he went on an East Coast crime spree that ended when he killed a South Carolina deputy.

In 2006, Mahdi pled guilty to the murder and robbery of a North Carolina store clerk and Orangeburg County Sheriff’s captain. He was sentenced to death the same year.

Mahdi started his murder spree on July 15, 2004, when he used a stolen vehicle to travel to Winston-Salem. According to court documents, Mahdi shot and killed a convenience store clerk. Three days later, OCSO Capt. James Myers discovered Mahdi hiding in a shed on his property. Mahdi shot Myers using a gun he found on the property.

Mahdi was eventually caught by law enforcement in Florida.

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South-Carolina

NFL Draft Injury Analysis: Jalon Kilgore, S – South Carolina

Published

2 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

NFL Draft Injury Analysis: Jalon Kilgore, S – South Carolina

The Lions may be looking for a safety within the first two rounds due to injuries to Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch. That’s where Jalon Kilgore may come in. He has some minor injuries, but appears to be a relatively low-risk prospect for a team that needs to add health to that room.

Here is the excerpt of my medical report on Jalon Kilgore:

Jalon Kilgore, S (21) – South Carolina

Projected round 2-3.

Concern level 2/10

While his availability has been excellent, Kilgore has a history of hamstring strains in 2025 and 2023. If his 2024 injury is found to be also a hamstring, then happenstance becomes a disturbing trend.

With fast-twitch athletes, hamstrings are going to be very common, and generally don’t present any long-term issues. The difficult trick will be to determine if a certain player is more prone to hamstrings.

What helps Kilgore a lot is his young age.

For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Jimmy on X, @JimmyLiaoMD

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South-Carolina

Motorcyclist critically injured in Longs area crash

Published

14 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Motorcyclist critically injured in Longs area crash

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — One person was critically injured in a motorcycle crash in the Longs area on Thursday afternoon, according to Horry County Fire Rescue (HCFR).

Just before 2:00 p.m., crews responded to the area of Old Highway 31 near Hidden River Road.

MORE: 1 critically injured in vehicle rollover near International Dr.

One person was transported to the hospital as a result of the motorcycle crash, HCFR said.

Officials ask that drivers avoid the area as lanes of traffic are currently blocked.

The incident is under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol with assistance from the Horry County Police Department.

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South-Carolina

South Carolina’s Raven Johnson carries her grandfather’s legacy into Sweet 16

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

South Carolina’s Raven Johnson carries her grandfather’s legacy into Sweet 16

Alyssia Hamilton
| Special to USA TODAY

COLUMBIA, SC ― With the clock winding down and pressures of the Women’s NCAA Tournament rising, South Carolina senior guard Raven Johnson isn’t playing just to win. She plays in honor of a voice she can no longer hear – but that she still carries with her every time she steps onto the court.

That motivation was on full display Monday night, as the No. 1-seeded Gamecocks took down No. 9 USC to advance to the Sweet 16. Johnson earned her 1,000th career point ― what would prove to be her last point at Colonial Life Arena ― on a steal and fast-break layup that brought a roar from the crowd. The Gamecocks will face No. 4 Oklahoma Saturday in Sacramento, with another Elite Eight appearance on the line.

For Johnson, the moment symbolized something deeper – a career shaped by the memory of her late grandfather. Johnson’s family watched as she achieved the milestone, her mother, grandmother and twin brother. It was a full circle moment for a player whose journey took root in her grandparents’ home.

Her grandparents helped raise her and her twin brother, Richard Johnson. The family lived together and she often calls her grandmother “mother” and her grandfather “papa,” reflecting the impact they had on her upbringing.

“My grandparents did a really good job,” Johnson said. “We wouldn’t be playing sports if it wasn’t for them.”

The Boones introduced the twins to basketball through their church and spent countless hours training them, often pushing them past their limits. A sergeant first class in the Army Reserves, he supervised soldiers in his unit and brought that same discipline to his grandchildren on the court, being demanding, structured and determined.

“I remember being outside and he was training us and I thought it was so hard. I wanted to give up,” Johnson said. “I used to cry, and he would be like ‘You’re not going to cry in my face, and you’re not going to give up.’ It was little things like that that made me tough.”

The standard of grit, accountability and composure, is something Johnson carries today.

“She’s just a winner and she’s a great point guard,” said South Carolina senior guard Ta’Niya Latson, who also played with Johnson at Westlake High School in Atlanta. “When she’s confident, we’re confident. When she’s poised, we’re poised. It’s hard to have that type of personality and leadership on the court, but she carries it well.”

Rodrick Boone was diagnosed with stomach cancer in December 2012 and died in April 2013 while Johnson was at a tournament in New Orleans. She was 10 years old.

“I remember I shut down,” Johnson said. “My mind went blank. I was like ‘What?’ I thought he was untouchable.”

Months after her grandfather’s death, something shifted in her mindset.

“I think that’s my why,” Johnson said. “I keep going today because he is my why.”

As a child, Johnson didn’t even like basketball. She preferred T-ball and cheerleading and thought basketball wasn’t for girls, until she saw Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins and began to see herself differently.

“She was so pretty to me and I remember asking ‘Can I be girly and hoop?’” Johnson said.

She was the only girl on her recreational team, earning the nickname “Killer” for her defensive intensity alongside her brother, nicknamed “Thriller” for his offensive ability. The boys tested Johnson by playing physical and trying to push her out of the sport.

“I used to be cooking them out there a little bit, and I think they didn’t like that,” Johnson said.

She said the boys trying to make it hard on her actually made her tougher both physically and mentally.

Her grandmother, Connie Boone, said her grandfather would be proud of what Johnson has become.

“He might be crying but he would be happy about it,” her grandmother said. “You start them young, but you never know what the outcome is going to be.”

Johnson imagines the conversations she’d be having with her papa if he was still here.

“He would still be on my butt riding me, he’ll tell me maybe I need to fix something,” Johnson said. “He’ll be happy and I think he’ll be like ‘All right let’s get back to the drawing board. Let’s get ready for the next opponent.’”

She knows her papa is always watching, and she talks to him a lot at night.

“I just want to tell him that I’m going to keep pushing through even when it gets tough,” Johnson said. “He’s always telling me to push through because nobody cares. Nobody cares if you’re at your lowest, nobody cares.”

On Monday, fans chanted “Raven, Raven, Raven” as she walked off the court for the final time at Colonial Life Arena, Johnson’s moment was bigger than the scoreboard.

It was about diligence, progress and a promise kept.

With another game ahead and the possibility of a deeper tournament run, she isn’t finished. She continues to push and play for the voice that gave her a reason to begin.

Alyssia Hamilton is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.

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