South Carolina carries out first execution in 13 years

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South Carolina executed a man convicted of murder in 1999, marking the state's first execution in over a decade. Freddie Owens, 46, was pronounced dead by lethal injection at 6:55 p.m. local time on Friday. This execution is the 14th in the United States this year.

Owens was convicted of the 1997 murder of Irene Graves, a convenience store clerk in Greenville, South Carolina, during a robbery. He and an accomplice stole $37 from the cash register before leading Graves to the back of the store, where she was shot in the head after failing to open a safe. Testimony from codefendant Steven Golden implicated Owens as the shooter, although Golden has since recanted.

During his trial in 1999, Owens also confessed to killing another inmate while incarcerated, which was presented to two juries and a judge, leading to his death sentence. On the day of the execution, Owens did not make a final statement.

South Carolina's last execution occurred in May 2011. The state faced a lengthy pause in capital punishment due to expired lethal injection drug supplies and difficulties in acquiring new ones. As of now, the death penalty remains abolished in 23 U.S. states, while six others have instituted moratoriums on executions.