Marion Bowman Jr. was executed by lethal injection in South Carolina on Friday, marking the first execution in the United States for the year.

Bowman, who was declared dead at 6:27 p.m., was on Death Row for the murder of 21-year-old Kandee Martin in 2001, just days before her son’s second birthday. Martin’s body, shot multiple times, was discovered in the trunk of her burned car.

Bowman claimed that Martin was not only a close friend but also a sporadic sexual partner. Although he acknowledged selling crack cocaine to her, he consistently insisted he was not guilty of her murder.

“I did not kill Kandee Martin. I’m innocent of the crimes I’m here to die for,” Bowman stated in his final remarks released by his legal team. He expressed empathy for Martin’s family, acknowledging their justified anger.

“If my death brings them some comfort and allows them to remember the good times, then I suppose it serves a purpose,” he remarked. “I hope they find peace.”

Family members of Martin shared with YSL News that they had eagerly awaited the execution, hoping it would offer them some sense of closure.

“He’s had 24 years to seek redemption and settle his accounts. We never had that chance. What remains of Kandee is in a coffin in the ground.”

Marion Bowman’s final words

In his closing statements, Bowman highlighted the stigma surrounding the death penalty and how individuals on Death Row are often seen as “the worst of the worst.”

“None of these men I’ve come to know are the same people they were when they made that fateful choice,” he said. “If the public could see our daily lives, they might think differently about the death penalty. We all long for grace and forgiveness, but society primarily sees the horrific images created by the State, while our true voices remain unheard.”

He concluded with, “We are not defined by what the State claims we are. We are kind, caring individuals, and it’s a pity that the world cannot recognize that.”

Marion Bowman’s final meal

For his last meal, Bowman chose fried shrimp, fish, and oysters, along with chicken wings, chicken tenders, onion rings, banana pudding, and German chocolate cake. He drank both pineapple and cranberry juice.

What was Marion Bowman convicted of?

Bowman was found guilty of murdering Martin, whom he characterized as a longtime friend and occasionally sexual partner who purchased crack cocaine from him. Prosecutors maintained that Martin owed Bowman money for drugs, using multiple witnesses who claimed to have heard him threaten her life.

On February 17, 2001, authorities discovered Martin’s body, which had been shot in the chest and head along a remote road. Her body was placed in the trunk of her car, which was subsequently set on fire, according to court records.

On the day of the murder, Bowman, aged 20, testified that he sold drugs to Martin repeatedly that day, but stated that she was “buying on credit” as well. He claimed they had sexual relations, after which he saw her leave with his cousin, who was also a drug dealer.

That cousin was the key witness in Bowman’s trial due to a plea deal with prosecutors for a reduced sentence. Bowman contended that jurors were never made aware of his cousin’s confession to killing Martin to a fellow inmate and that significant evidence suggesting his cousin and another man’s guilt was ignored by prosecutors.

“I regret some of my past choices,” Bowman wrote. “I regret my part in supplying Kandee and understand that her addiction may have led to her death. But I did not kill her.”

Who was Kandee Martin?

Kandee was born to a rebar contractor and a stay-at-home mother in the small town of Branchville, South Carolina, situated between Charleston and Columbia. With few job opportunities, Martin factored her graduating class had only 21 students.

Kandee aspired for more and often dreamt of moving to Charleston to build a career.

“She was a small-town girl with hopes of escaping and creating a fulfilling life,” Martin reflected.

Before she could leave Branchville, she unexpectedly became pregnant with a son, but she embraced motherhood wholeheartedly. “She transformed from a young single woman into a mother, which became her greatest joy,” said her family.

“When I close my eyes, I can still hear them laughing together,” Martin reminisced.

What method was used for the execution?

Bowman was executed using a lethal injection of pentobarbital.

Bowman’s attorneys had raised concerns regarding a “veil of secrecy” over the drug, claiming that the state had withheld crucial information like the expiration date and storage conditions. They also questioned the drug’s purity and quality after a previous execution in which the second dose was administered to inmate Richard Moore significantly late.

In legal documents, the state maintained that Bowman could have selected a firing squad or electric chair for his execution but chose lethal injection instead, citing his own “gruesome murder” of Martin as a factor.

Lindsey Vann, one of Bowman’s lawyers, stated he preferred lethal injection despite the uncertainties because he viewed the firing squad and electric chair as “cruel and unconstitutional.” If he hadn’t made a choice, the default method would have been the electric chair.

More about Marion Bowman

Bowman grew up in a rural area of Orangeburg County, South Carolina, also located between Charleston and Columbia.

His father was absent, and his mother’s illness during his teenage years forced him to take on family responsibilities, according to Vann. “He’s a loyal person from an early age, but that loyalty led him to the drug trade in his community,” she noted.

“My family struggled financially, but we managed,” Bowman recently shared in his online statements. “I didn’t complete high school and worked various manual labor jobs that didn’t pay enough.”

Ultimately, he turned to selling crack cocaine, initially to support his mother and sister, and later his wife and stepchildren, as noted by Vann.

While incarcerated, Bowman’s wife gave birth to their daughter, who has since become a mother herself, making Bowman a grandfather. He also considers his three step-grandchildren as his own, highlighting close family ties despite the circumstances.

Vann mentioned that Bowman underwent significant personal growth in prison, developed a strong faith in God, and began writing poetry, including a piece called “While I Breathe I Hope.” His latest poem released after his death is titled “Last Breath or Sigh.” The poem’s lines include: “Let it be clear − I’ve loved with every breath I’ve taken. Rest assured that I’m held by God, and in His embrace, I shall find peace.”