South Carolina carried out Freddie Owens’ lethal injection on Friday, the first execution in the state in 13 years. Owens, aged 46, was strapped to a gurney as the drug sequence was administered. He provided no final statement, but he did bid farewell to his defense attorney, according to local media reports. A physician in the execution chamber certified his death roughly ten minutes after the injection was completed.
Owens was condemned to death for the 1999 murder of Irene Graves, a gas station attendant who was killed during a robbery in which she was working night shifts. He has consistently maintained his innocence regarding that crime. While serving a sentence in prison, and before the case went to trial, he killed his cellmate Christopher Lee after an incident in which Lee allegedly mocked him.
South Carolina’s pause on executions stretched from 2011, when the state faced a drug shortage and could not secure sufficient supplies for lethal injections. Since then, no execution took place as suppliers refused to sell, and the state searched for a new approach. To move forward, lawmakers passed a law that keeps the name of the drug provider and portions of the execution protocol secret, arguing it protects suppliers and ensures the continuation of capital punishment within the state.
Notes from advocates and watchdogs point to a lack of transparency, arguing that the secrecy undermines accountability in the state’s criminal justice system. Supporters of the law counter that confidentiality shields manufacturers and pharmacies from pressure and harassment that could affect medical practice or supply. The balance between public interest and security remains a heated topic in the ongoing debate over the death penalty.
Since the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, at least 1,596 people have been executed in the United States, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. In South Carolina, 44 people have been put to death under state law. The DPIC, a nonprofit organization that tracks executions and related legal developments, provides these figures and context for researchers, lawmakers, and the public.
While the current case draws attention to South Carolina’s use of lethal injection, it also underscores broader themes in the national conversation about punishment, justice, and state authority. The secrecy measure, the drug shortages, and the long gap between executions all feed into a larger narrative about how the death penalty is applied and regulated in the United States today.
Observers on both sides of the debate will watch closely how the state handles future capital cases, especially as medical standards, supply chains, and legal challenges continue to evolve. The Freddie Owens case stands as a point of reference for communities affected by the crime and for those who seek greater clarity on the processes that determine life and death.