Freddie Owens Executed in South Carolina Amidst Doubts About His Guilt and His Mother’s Appeal
South Carolina executed Freddie Eugene Owens by lethal injection on Friday, despite emerging doubts about his guilt as his mother claimed that the state was committing a ‘grave injustice.’
Freddie Eugene Owens was executed in South Carolina on Friday, convicted of the shooting death of a convenience store clerk. His mother made a heartfelt plea to state officials for reconsideration, arguing they were committing a “grave injustice” following a new sworn statement from a critical witness in the case.
At the age of 46, Owens faced the lethal injection at the Broad River Correctional Institute in Columbia, marking the first time in over ten years that South Carolina executed an inmate, and the 14th execution across the U.S. in 2024. The execution process commenced at 6:35 p.m. ET, concluding with his death being declared at 6:55 p.m.
Owens was found guilty by a South Carolina jury for the murder of Irene Grainger Graves, a 41-year-old single mother of three, who was described as a dedicated and lively parent by her son in a recent interview with YSL News.
“Freddie Owens is innocent of Ms. Graves’ murder. It is a tragedy that he is dying tonight,” stated his lawyer, Gerald “Bo” King, in an interview with YSL News. “Mr. Owens had a childhood fraught with unimaginable suffering. He has spent his adult life incarcerated for a crime he did not commit. The legal mistakes, undisclosed agreements, and false testimonies that led to this moment should evoke shame in us all.”
This past Wednesday, Owens’ accomplice in the robbery submitted a sworn statement that contradicted his previous testimony, claiming that Owens did not shoot Graves and was not present at the crime scene, as reported by the Greenville News, part of the YSL News Network.
Despite this statement, neither the court nor Republican Governor Henry McMaster was moved to grant clemency, with McMaster denying Owens’ appeal just before the execution. Outside the prison, demonstrators labeled him “Henry McMurder.”
After witnessing the execution, Arte Graves, the son of Irene Graves, expressed relief that the process has concluded, but added that he believes the last-minute sworn statement was too late to have any meaningful impact.
“If what he said was true, he should have spoken up earlier. That’s a burden that person will have to live with,” Arte stated.
Here’s what you should know about Owens’ execution, including his last words and meal.
Details from the Day of Execution
Owens’ last meal included two cheeseburgers, a cooked ribeye steak, six chicken wings, French fries, two strawberry sodas, and a slice of apple pie, as reported by a representative from the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
Before his execution, Owens had no final words aside from a brief “Bye” to his attorney.
Background on Irene Graves’ Murder
In connection with the robbery of the convenience store where she worked, Owens and his co-defendant, Steven Golden, were convicted for the murder of Irene Graves. Reports indicate she was shot in the head after informing the pair that she was unable to access the store’s safe.
Owens has consistently asserted that he was at home when the robbery took place, a claim that has since been corroborated by Golden’s new sworn statement.
Golden stated that he initially went along with the detectives’ suggestion that Owens was present during the robbery because he feared facing the death penalty. “I falsely named Freddie instead of the person who was really with me at the Speedway that night,” he confessed to police.
Golden explained, “I did this because I knew that’s what the police wanted to hear, and I was also scared that naming the actual shooter would put my life in danger.” He later reached a plea deal with prosecutors, leading to his murder charge being reduced to voluntary manslaughter, which resulted in a 28-year prison sentence.
The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that Owens’ execution would proceed, asserting that Golden’s recent statement did not outweigh alleged confessions Owens had made to various individuals, including his girlfriend, mother, and two police officers.
Appeals for Mercy from Owens’ Mother and Attorney’s Disappointment
Dora Mason, Owens’ mother, reached out to all involved decision-makers urging them to stop her son’s execution, especially in light of Golden’s new statement,
expressing that they were dealing with “a serious injustice.”
“Today, I stand as a witness to the State’s refusal to consider new evidence and its unwillingness to recognize the potential for mistakes,” she stated in a remark shared with the Greenville News. “Freddie is not solely defined by his conviction; he is a person—a son, a brother, and a friend. He is entitled to compassion, empathy, and a genuine opportunity for justice. Unfortunately, the system has let him down and failed the victim at every stage.”
Mason, whose remarks were made just hours before the execution, called on the people of South Carolina to reflect on “the imperfections of our justice system and the irreversible consequences of capital punishment . I urge you to evaluate the ethics of taking a life under the guise of justice, particularly when there is uncertainty.”
One of Owens’ lawyers, Gerald Bo King, expressed his “disappointment” regarding the state Supreme Court’s decision, noting that “despite compelling evidence of his innocence that has surfaced,” South Carolina is “executing a man for a crime he did not commit.”
State Senator Deon Tedder, a Democrat, wrote to the governor, indicating he had received numerous calls voicing concerns about the new information in the case and that the execution should be halted because “it is crucial for our state to get it right when taking actions that cannot be reversed.”
“We do not want South Carolina’s first execution in over a decade to be of the wrong person,” he stated.
YSL News reached out to the governor’s office for a response.
Graves’ son present at Owens’ execution
Arte Graves, the eldest son of Irene Graves, informed YSL News earlier this week that he would attend Owens’ execution.
“Honestly, I just need to see him go,” he expressed. “I need to see him go.”
Arte Graves fondly described his mother as a diligent person who enriched his childhood with joyful memories.
“She was a wonderful woman, a joyous woman. We always had fun,” he reminisced. “I think about her every day.”
“I’m relieved it’s over and that we can move on,” Arte Graves remarked after the execution.
He recounted the tense moments just before Owens’ execution, during which there was a nearly hour-long delay as Owens’ legal team submitted a last-minute appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Just get it done already,” Arte Graves stated. “It appeared as though he tried to look in our direction but could only raise his head so much. We made eye contact, but I’m unsure whether he recognized me; I could see him, but I couldn’t make out his face clearly.”
What executions are scheduled next in the United States?
Owens’ execution marks the first of five planned in the U.S. within a six-day span. On Tuesday, Texas is scheduled to execute Travis James Mullis for the 2008 murder of his infant son, and Missouri is set to execute Marcellus Williams for the 1998 fatal stabbing of a former reporter, despite both prosecutors and the victim’s family advocating for his clemency, arguing he might be innocent.
Following Tuesday’s double execution, two more are expected to take place on Thursday. Alabama plans to execute Alan Eugene Miller using nitrogen gas for the shooting deaths of three co-workers in 1999, even with evidence of his mental illness. A witness to a prior nitrogen gas execution in January described that method as “horrific.”
Also on Thursday, Oklahoma intends to execute Emmanuel Littlejohn for the 1992 killing of a convenience store clerk, even though he asserts he wasn’t the shooter.
If all five executions occur as scheduled, the U.S. will have executed 18 death row inmates in this year. Six more executions have been scheduled, and additional dates could be added.
Contributors: Terry Benjamin II, Amanda Lee Myers