Man Admits He Lied, Sent South Carolina Inmate to Death Row Before Execution

Freddie Eugene Owens is scheduled to face execution by lethal injection on Friday at a prison in Columbia, South Carolina, for the 1997 murder of a convenience store clerk, Irene Graves. Just days ahead of his execution, a key witness, Steven Golden, has come forward to assert that his previous testimony against Owens was false.

Golden’s statement is an attempt by Owens’ legal team to halt the execution, marking South Carolina’s first lethal injection in over a decade. Owens’ lawyers submitted Golden’s sworn statement to the South Carolina Supreme Court, which has asked both the defense and the prosecution to finalize their arguments by Thursday afternoon.

Since Golden initially testified against Owens at trial, prosecutors have emphasized that there were multiple sources of evidence linking Owens to the crime, including testimonies from others who claimed Owens confessed to the murder. Last week, the state Supreme Court denied a request to stop the execution following Golden’s claims of a secret arrangement with prosecutors that he had not disclosed during the trial.

On Wednesday, Golden provided a second sworn statement directly asserting that Owens was not present during the robbery that led to Graves’ death. He admitted to initially placing blame on Owens due to his intoxication from cocaine and fear of repercussions from the actual perpetrator.

“I thought the real shooter or his associates might kill me if I named him to police. I am still afraid of that. But Freddie was not there,” Golden stated in his new declaration, without naming the actual shooter.

During Owens’ trial, Golden disclosed that the prosecution had indicated they would take his cooperation into account, although he still faced severe penalties, including the death penalty. Ultimately, he accepted a plea deal for voluntary manslaughter, receiving a sentence of 28 years.

Golden expressed his urgency in coming forward, noting that he could no longer bear the moral weight of his earlier false testimony: “I don’t want Freddie to be executed for something he didn’t do. This has weighed heavily on my mind, and I want to have a clear conscience,” he wrote.

Prosecutors counter Golden’s new claims, arguing that other witnesses also confirmed Owens’ involvement in the crime. They pointed out that friends of Owens testified that he had actively planned the robbery and bragged about the murder afterward. Furthermore, Owens’ girlfriend corroborated that he confessed to her as well.

In court documents, prosecutors have maintained that Golden’s recent recantation does not warrant a stay of execution, arguing that his credibility is now compromised. They characterized the timing of his new statement, coming so close to Owens’ execution date, as suspect.

The advocacy organization South Carolinians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty has also been vocal in their opposition to Owens’ execution, presenting a petition with over 10,000 signatures to Governor Henry McMaster. The group’s executive director, Rev. Hillary Taylor, remarked, “Justice works for restoration. You cannot restore someone who you kill,” while reading comments from supporters of the petition.

Governor McMaster, a Republican, has indicated he will announce his decision on clemency only after receiving a call from prison officials shortly before the scheduled execution.

If carried out, Owens’ execution will mark the first in South Carolina in 13 years. The state had faced significant hurdles in procuring the necessary drugs for lethal injections due to pharmaceutical companies’ reluctance to sell them if their identities were disclosed. In response, South Carolina has introduced a firing squad as an alternative execution method and implemented laws to keep execution details private. This summer, the state Supreme Court enabled the death chamber to resume operations.

Furthermore, five other inmates are also awaiting execution as they have exhausted their appeals, and the state is poised to conduct executions every five weeks.