South Carolina inmate dies by lethal injection, ending state's 13-year pause on executions

A South Carolina man convicted of the 1997 killing of a convenience store clerk during a robbery was put to death Friday, as the state restarted executions following a 13-year pause. 

Freddie Owens, 46, was declared dead at 6:55 p.m. at the Broad River Correctional Institution (BRCI) in Columbia, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court denied his appeal and a petition for a stay of execution.

His last meal consisted of two cheeseburgers, french fries, a well-done ribeye steak, six chicken wings, two strawberry sodas and a piece of apple pie, the South Carolina Department of Corrections told Fox News Digital. 

Owens was convicted of the 1997 killing of a Greenville convenience store clerk during a robbery. However, he killed an inmate at a county jail while on trial. His confession to that attack was read to two different juries and a judge who all sentenced him to death.

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While strapped to a gurney, Owens declined to make a final statement, but said “bye” to his lawyer before losing consciousness inside the BRCI death chamber. 

His last chance to avoid death was from Republican South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster to commute his sentence to life in prison. McMaster denied Owens’ request as well, stating that he had “carefully reviewed and thoughtfully considered” Owens’ application for clemency.

Owens was the first inmate to be put to death in South Carolina in over a decade. Five other inmates have exhausted their appeals, and the South Carolina Supreme Court has cleared the way to hold an execution every five weeks.

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Rev. Hillary Taylor protests the planned execution of Freddie Eugene Owens, 46, on Friday in Columbia, S.C.  (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

South Carolina first tried to add the firing squad to restart executions after its supply of lethal injection drugs expired, but no company was willing to publicly sell the state more. 

To carry out executions, the state switched from a three-drug method to a new protocol of using just the sedative pentobarbital. The new process is similar to how the federal government kills inmates, according to state prison officials, The Associated Press reported. 

This undated photo provided by the South Carolina Department of Corrections shows the state’s death chamber in Columbia, S.C., including the electric chair, right, and a firing squad chair, left. (South Carolina Department of Corrections via AP/File)

Owens allowed his lawyer to choose how he died, saying he felt if he made the choice he would be a party to his own death and his religious beliefs denounce suicide.