After a 13-year hiatus, South Carolina resumed executions by putting inmate Freddie Owens to death for the 1997 killing of a Greenville convenience store clerk. Owens was also convicted of attacking a person in jail during his trial. He made no final statement, and his last meal included cheeseburgers, steak, and chicken wings. Owens, now known as Khalil Divine Black Sun Allah, was the first inmate executed in South Carolina in 13 years.
Despite last-ditch appeals being denied, including a Supreme Court petition and a request for clemency from the governor, Owens was executed. The state plans to hold an execution every five weeks, potentially including five other inmates out of appeals. South Carolina faced challenges resuming executions, including a lack of lethal injection drugs and the passage of a shield law to keep the protocol secret.
Owens’ case was marked by another murder he committed while in jail, although he was never tried for the killing of Christopher Lee. His final appeal argued that prosecutors lacked scientific evidence linking him to the convenience store killing and highlighted his traumatic childhood as a mitigating factor.
As South Carolina restarts executions, the state’s death row population has decreased significantly over the years, with only 31 remaining after Owens’ execution. The resumption of the death penalty in the state has reignited debates over capital punishment and the legal and ethical issues surrounding it.
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