South Carolina executes first inmate in 13 years

Freddie Owens dies by lethal injection

Freddie Owens, a 43-year-old man convicted of murder, was executed by lethal injection in South Carolina on Thursday, becoming the first inmate to be executed in the state in 13 years.

Owens' crime and conviction

Owens was convicted of killing his girlfriend, 30-year-old Donna Major, in 1996. Major was found stabbed to death in her home in Greenville, South Carolina.

Owens was arrested and charged with murder shortly after Major's body was discovered. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in 1998.

Owens' appeals

Owens appealed his conviction and death sentence several times, but his appeals were unsuccessful. His last appeal was denied by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2021.

The execution

Owens was executed at the Lieber Correctional Institution in Ridgeville, South Carolina. He was pronounced dead at 6:30 p.m. EST.

Owens' execution was the first to be carried out in South Carolina since 2008. The state had previously been under a moratorium on executions, but the moratorium was lifted in 2021.

Reaction to the execution

Owens' execution was met with mixed reactions. Some people supported the execution, saying that Owens deserved to die for his crime.

Others opposed the execution, saying that it was cruel and unusual punishment. They also argued that Owens had been rehabilitated and was no longer a danger to society.

The future of the death penalty in South Carolina

The execution of Owens is likely to reignite the debate over the death penalty in South Carolina. The death penalty is currently legal in South Carolina, but there is a growing movement to abolish it.

It is unclear whether the death penalty will be abolished in South Carolina in the near future. However, the execution of Owens is a sign that the state is moving away from the death penalty.