3 months ago
22
Freddie Eugene Owens
, a
death row
inmate in
South Carolina
, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection at 6 pm on Friday, marking the state's first execution in over a decade and the 14th in the US this year.
Owens is scheduled to be executed at the Broad River Correctional Institute in Columbia, South Carolina.
Owens, 46, was convicted of the 1997 murder of Irene Grainger Graves, a 41-year-old single mother of three.
She was shot in the head during a Halloween night robbery at the convenience store where she worked in Greenville, South Carolina.
However, Owens’ case has taken a surprising turn. His co-defendant in the robbery, Steven Golden, recently came forward to proclaim Owens' innocence.
In a sworn statement, Golden said Owens was not present during the crime and did not shoot Graves. "Freddie Owens is not the person who shot
Irene Graves
at the Speedway on November 1, 1997," Golden stated. "Freddie was not present when I robbed the Speedway that day."
He admitted that he falsely accused Owens because he feared receiving the death penalty.
As part of a plea deal, Steven Golden testified against Owens and avoided a death sentence, receiving a reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter and a 28-year prison sentence.
Despite Golden’s new statement, the
South Carolina Supreme Court
declined to halt Owens' execution, citing prior confessions made by Owens.
Owens' legal team, led by attorney Gerald Bo King, expressed disappointment, arguing that the new testimony shows compelling evidence of Owens' innocence. They have urged Governor Henry McMaster to intervene and grant clemency.
Owens has maintained his innocence, claiming he was home in bed at the time of the crime.
His life has been shaped by severe childhood trauma. Court documents reveal that Owens grew up in an abusive household, where his father frequently beat him and his siblings with bats, extension cords, and beer cans.
Owens’ mother recounted a particularly violent incident when he was just a baby, where his father shook and hit him so hard that he wouldn’t stop crying.
While on death row, Owens converted to Islam and now goes by the name
Khalil-Divine Black Sun-Allah
. However, court records still refer to him by his birth name.
Irene Graves’ family continues to mourn her loss. Her son,
Arte Graves
, remembers her as a hardworking, fun, and loving mother who juggled three jobs to support her children. He was away at college when his mother was killed, forcing him to return home to care for his younger siblings. “I miss her every day,” he said.
