South Carolina inmate dies by lethal injection in state’s first execution in 13 years

Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina has put inmate Freddie Owens to death in the state’s first execution in more than a decade. Friday’s execution came after an unintended 13-year pause on capital punishment in South Carolina that came about because prison officials couldn’t get the drugs needed for lethal injections. Owens was convicted of the 1997 killing of a Greenville convenience store clerk during a robbery. While on trial, Owens killed an inmate at a county jail. His confession to that attack was read to two different juries and a judge who all sentenced him to death. The 46-year-old Owens was pronounced dead at 6:55 p.m.