Man Admits to Lying During Testimony Against Inmate Freddie Owens
In a dramatic turn of events, a man has confessed to lying when he testified against inmate Freddie Owens. The South Carolina Supreme Court, however, has rejected this confession and has refused to stop Owens’ execution, scheduled for Friday.
Witness Backtracks on Testimony
Steven Golden, a friend and co-defendant of Owens, contributed significantly to Owens’ conviction. However, on Wednesday, Golden admitted in a sworn statement that he lied on the stand, claiming that Owens was not even at the location when Irene Graves was killed during a robbery in 1997. This dramatic revelation has led to a flurry of appeals to halt Owens’ execution, but to no avail.
Execution to Proceed Despite Confession
Thursday saw the South Carolina Supreme Court rule in favor of the execution. Supporters of the death penalty, as well as prosecutors, point out that Owens was linked to the crime by several other witnesses as well, and that Owens himself confessed to the murder to these individuals.
Lawyers for Owens expressed disappointment over the court’s decision, pledging to continue their advocacy. In a statement, attorney Gerald “Bo” King stated, “South Carolina is on the verge of executing a man for a crime he did not commit. We will continue to advocate for Mr. Owens.”
Clemency Petition Ignored
A group named South Carolinians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty has submitted a petition carrying over 10,000 signatures to Governor Henry McMaster’s office, urging him to commute Owens’ sentence to life imprisonment. The group’s executive director, Hillary Taylor, stated that “Justice works for restoration. You cannot restore someone who you kill.”
In spite of this, Governor McMaster, a Republican, has yet to announce his decision on clemency and plans to do so minutes before the execution commences.
State’s First Execution in Over a Decade
The execution of Freddie Owens will mark the first execution in South Carolina in 13 years, following a lengthy moratorium due to difficulties in obtaining lethal injection drugs. The state has added the use of a firing squad as an execution method and passed a law to keep much of the details of executions private. Five other inmates, who have exhausted all their appeals, are likely to meet the same fate, with the state gearing up to schedule executions every five weeks.
