Monday, September 223, 2024 - A man's execution in the US has been thrown into chaos after a key witness said in a sworn statement that he lied in order to have him convicted.
South Carolina's Freddie Owens is set to d!e by lethal
injection late Friday September 20 (America time) for the killing of
convenience store clerk, Irene Graves in Greenville in 1997 during a robbery.
On Wednesday, his lawyers filed a statement from his
co-defendant Steven Golden saying that Owens wasn't at the store at the time
when Graves was killed.
Golden said that he had blamed Owens, who was 19 at the
time, because he was high on cocaine and facing pressure from police.
He wrote: 'I thought the real shooter or his associates
might kill me if I named him to police. I am still afraid of that. But Freddie
was not there.'
Despite the claims made by Golden, the South
Carolina Supreme Court has refused to step in and stop the execution
of Owens by lethal injection.
The justices ruled on Thursday that Golden's statement
wasn't enough to halt prison officials from executing Owens.
Attorney Gerald 'Bo' King said: '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.'
Golden had testified at Owens' trial saying prosecutors
promised to consider his testimony in his favor but still faced a death
sentence or life in prison.
He was eventually sentenced to 28 years behind bars after he
pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter.
Golden said: 'I’m coming forward now because I know
Freddie’s execution date is September 20, and I don’t want Freddie to be
executed for something he didn’t do.
'This has weighed heavily on my mind, and I want to have a
clear conscience.'
Prosecutors said that several other witnesses testified that
Owens had been the one that pulled the trigger.
Those witnesses had been friends of Owens who said he had
bragged to them about killing Graves. His former girlfriend also testified that
he confessed to the killing.
Less than 12 hours after he was convicted of Graves' murder,
Owens also killed fellow prisoner Christopher Bryan Lee, 28, in a jail cell
argument, after Lee allegedly revealed his cousin was on the jury that
sentenced Owens to death.
Prosecutors argued that Golden's decision to U-turn on his
story couldn't be trusted as he had now admitted to lying under oath, showing
he can't be trusted.
On Thursday a group called South Carolinians for
Alternatives to the Death Penalty presented a petition with over 10,000
signatures to Governor Henry McMaster.
They want Owens' sentence to life imprisonment, with
director Rev. Hillary Taylor saying: 'Justice works for restoration. You cannot
restore someone who you kill.'
According to McMaster, a Republican, he will wait to
announce his decision on clemency until officials call him minutes before the
execution.
If executed, Owens would be the first in the state in 13
years after they struggled to obtain the drugs needed for lethal injections.
The state added a firing squad option and passed a shield
law to keep much of the details of executions private. The state Supreme Court
then cleared the way for the death chamber to reopen this summer.
Owens was given the choice of lethal injection, electric
chair, or firing squad, opting for lethal injection.
He left his fate up to his lawyer, arguing his Muslim faith
means he cannot take an active role in his own death.
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