Man Claims He Lied in Testimony Against Friend, Hours Before Execution

In a dramatic turn of events just hours before his scheduled execution, Freddie Owens is facing the prospect of death by lethal injection in South Carolina, but new revelations from a key witness have cast doubt on his conviction. Steven Golden, a friend and co-defendant whose testimony was pivotal in sending Owens to prison for the murder of a convenience store clerk, has admitted he lied in order to save himself from facing the death penalty.

Owens is set to be executed at 6 p.m. on Friday at a prison in Columbia, marking the first execution in South Carolina in over a decade. His lawyers filed a sworn statement from Golden on Wednesday, hoping to halt the execution. Golden’s statement claims that he never disclosed a secret deal with prosecutors during the trial, which would have been critical information for the jury.

In his latest testimony, Golden asserts that Owens was not present during the killing of Irene Graves during a robbery in 1997. He explained that he falsely implicated Owens out of fear and under the influence of cocaine. Golden stated that he was pressured by police questioning and worried about the real killer potentially harming him if he revealed their identity. In his words, “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.”

During the original trial, Golden testified that he had a deal with prosecutors and faced severe consequences himself, including the death penalty. Ultimately, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter and received a 28-year prison sentence. Now, he admits his conscience is heavy with guilt, compelling him to clear Owens’s name. “I don’t want Freddie to be executed for something he didn’t do,” Golden stated. “This has weighed heavily on my mind, and I want to have a clear conscience.”

The prosecution maintains that multiple witnesses corroborate their case against Owens. They argue that other friends of Owens testified about their plans to rob the store together. According to these testimonies, he bragged about killing Graves, further tying him to the crime. Additionally, his former girlfriend testified that Owens confessed to her.

While there was surveillance footage from the store, it did not clearly capture the shooting. No murder weapon was ever recovered, nor was any scientific evidence directly linking Owens to the killing presented during the trial. Following the overturning of Owens’s death sentence, the prosecution presented evidence that indicated the man believed to have killed Graves wore a ski mask, while the accomplice wore a stocking mask; they linked the ski mask to Owens.

As the state prepares for the execution, prosecutors are skeptical of Golden’s shifting narrative, arguing that his admission of lying under oath raises questions about his credibility. They contend that if Owens was innocent, he would not have confessed to the shooting to various people, including his girlfriend and family members.

Amid this contentious atmosphere, a petition containing over 10,000 signatures was presented to Governor Henry McMaster’s office, urging him to commute Owens’s sentence to life in prison. Rev. Hillary Taylor, representing South Carolinians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, argued that taking a life cannot restore justice. “Justice works for restoration. You cannot restore someone who you kill,” she wrote, reflecting the sentiments of many who oppose the death penalty.

Governor McMaster has indicated that he will make a determination on clemency just moments before the execution. When South Carolina previously executed inmates, there were challenges in procuring lethal injection drugs as pharmaceutical companies ceased supplying them for use in executions when publicly identified. In response, the state has begun utilizing the firing squad and, more controversially, the electric chair as options for carrying out capital punishment.

With Owens’s case garnering significant attention, it is crucial to note that five other inmates in South Carolina are also nearing the end of their appeals, with the state prepared to schedule executions every five weeks. The debate surrounding state execution methods continues, particularly after the recent execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith in Alabama using nitrogen hypoxia, which has faced criticism for its potential cruelty.

Currently, there are 35 inmates on death row in South Carolina, and no clemencies have been issued. The legislative landscape surrounding executions in the state remains contentious as advocates argue against both the methods and morality of capital punishment.

Source: CBS News