South Carolina is preparing to carry out its first execution in over 13 years next month, ending a hiatus caused by difficulties obtaining lethal injection drugs.
South Carolina is set to resume executions next month after a 13-year pause, marking a significant development in the state's capital punishment landscape. The execution of Freddie Eugene Owens, 46, is scheduled for September 20th for the 1997 murder of a store clerk.
In recent years, South Carolina has faced challenges in securing lethal injection drugs due to pharmaceutical companies' concerns over the disclosure of their involvement in providing these drugs for executions. To address this issue, the state legislature passed a shield law that allows officials to keep the identities of lethal injection drug suppliers confidential.
South Carolina to Resume Executions After 13-Year Hiatus
With the legal hurdles cleared, the state Supreme Court gave the green light to resume executions in July. Owens will have the choice of being executed by lethal injection, electrocution, or firing squad. The firing squad is a relatively rare method of execution, with the last such execution in the United States occurring in Utah in 2010.
The prison director has five days to confirm that all three execution methods will be available to Owens. Owens' attorneys will also need to verify that the lethal injection drug is stable and correctly mixed before an execution date can be set.
South Carolina to Resume Executions After 13-Year Hiatus
According to the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center, South Carolina has executed 43 inmates since the death penalty was reinstated in the United States in 1976. Only nine states have executed more inmates during that time period.
However, the state's death row population has declined in recent years. In early 2011, South Carolina had 63 condemned inmates, but that number has now fallen to 32. Appeals and natural causes have contributed to the reduction in death row inmates.
South Carolina to Resume Executions After 13-Year Hiatus
In addition to Owens, several other inmates have exhausted their regular appeals and are nearing the end of their legal options. The recent Supreme Court ruling that reopened the door for executions found that the state shield law was legal and that both the electric chair and firing squad were not cruel punishments.
The South Carolina General Assembly authorized the state to create a firing squad in 2021, giving inmates the option to choose between that method and the electric chair. Owens has been sentenced to death three separate times during his appeals.
South Carolina to Resume Executions After 13-Year Hiatus
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
