South Carolina Supreme Court Upholds Death Penalty for Owens

The South Carolina Supreme Court has rejected two appeals to halt the execution of Freddie Owens, slated to be the state’s first execution in 13 years. Owens is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on September 20 at Broad River Correctional Institution. His lawyers claimed new evidence emerged involving a co-defendant’s secret deal and a juror’s remark on Owens’ stun belt. However, the justices ruled these did not meet the “exceptional circumstances” required for another appeal.

Owens was sentenced to death for the 1997 murder of convenience store clerk Irene Graves in Greenville. Co-defendant Steven Golden’s testimony significantly contributed to Owens’ conviction, although prosecutors did not present the murder weapon or clear video evidence. Recent claims allege Golden struck a side deal with prosecutors, but the Supreme Court deemed this insufficient to postpone Owens’ execution, emphasizing his participation in the armed robbery that preceded Graves’ murder showed a “reckless disregard for human life.”

Gov. Henry McMaster holds the power to commute Owens’ death sentence to life imprisonment. McMaster, following tradition, has delayed his decision until just before the execution. Despite pressure from anti-death penalty advocates, including Rev. Hillary Taylor and Rev. David Kennedy, McMaster has expressed respect for jury verdicts and court decisions. Advocates highlight Owens’ youth at the time of the crime and racial disparities in execution rates, but McMaster stresses adherence to the rule of law. (This story was generated by Newser’s AI chatbot. Source: the AP)