South Carolina Inmate Opts for Lethal Injection
A 46-year-old inmate in South Carolina has refrained from choosing his own method of execution, ensuring it adheres to his Muslim Faith that regards suicide as a sin. With the responsibility of his life subsequently falling onto his attorney, the decision for Freddie Owens’ method of execution has been declared as lethal injection.
Legal Intervention Forced In
Freddie Owens, who is set to be executed on September 20 for the 1997 murder of Irene Graves during a streak of robberies in Greenville, has avoided any active participation in his own death. Consequently, his attorney, Emily Paavola, was tasked with making the decision, ultimately opting for lethal injection.
In a statement shared by Paavola, she expressed her anxiety regarding the lack of information provided about the lethal injection drug. She hoped that the assurances given by the South Carolina Department of Corrections about the drug not causing severe pain or suffering will hold.
The Caseimeline
For Owens, if his attorney had not elected an execution method, the South Carolina law would mandate his execution by electric chair, an outcome he wished to avoid. This signifies a reanimation of capital punishments in the state after a thirteen years’ pause, consequent to the struggles in procuring lethal injection drugs. However, a shielding law was passed last year allowing officials to conceal lethal injection drug suppliers, making the drugs available.
Owens is among six other inmates who have exhausted their appeal to evade execution. Reportedly, there are 32 inmates on South Carolina’s death row.
Despite numerous legal motions filed by his attorney to delay his death, Owens’ execution hasn’t been postponed. He had requested a delay on the grounds of misinformation provided by his co-defendant over a plea deal in exchange for a testimony against Owens.
A Possible Clemency?
As it stands, the only opportunity for Owens to avoid execution lies in the hands of the governor who can commute his death sentence to life imprisonment. To date, no governor in the state has done this in 43 executions since the death penalty was reinstated in the U.S in 1976.
The verdict of the Republican Governor, Henry McMaster, remains uncertain and will be disclosed only moments before the execution is carried out.
