South Carolina Supreme Court to rule on time gap between executions

The South Carolina Supreme Court has halted another execution in the state pending the determination of a minimum time frame between sending inmates to the death chamber. The next execution in the state is still scheduled for September 20th for inmate Freddie Eugene Owens, which would mark the first execution in South Carolina in over 13 years after the court allowed the reopening of the death chamber last month.

While setting Owens’ execution date, the court agreed to hear a request from four other death row inmates who have exhausted their appeals, asking for at least a three-month gap between executions. State prosecutors suggested a minimum of no longer than four weeks between executions in response to this request. Currently, the Supreme Court can schedule executions as close together as one week apart.

The accelerated schedule of executions could pose challenges for lawyers representing multiple inmates on death row, according to court documents filed by a lawyer for the inmates. Additionally, the preparation by prison staff for executions in quick succession could lead to botched procedures, argued attorney Lindsey Vann.

State prosecutors rebutted the arguments for a three-month delay, stating that a maximum of a four-week delay should suffice. They expressed confidence in the readiness of Department of Corrections staff to carry out their duties professionally and with dignity as required by law.

The execution method for Owens, aged 46, remains undecided until the end of the following week, where he must choose between lethal injection, electrocution, or the firing squad. His legal team is awaiting a statement from prison officials regarding the execution drug’s quality and details, under new state laws limiting disclosure of execution procedures.

South Carolina’s last execution was in 2011, with the state facing challenges procuring the necessary drugs for lethal injections since then. Legislation was passed to change the lethal injection protocol to a single drug and introduce the firing squad as an alternative method.

While some South Carolina inmates are requesting a 13-week interval between executions, citing issues faced by Oklahoma in expediting executions, state prosecutors argue that the comparison with Oklahoma’s laws is not applicable to South Carolina’s setup. Owens was convicted of killing a Greenville clerk during a convenience store robbery in 1997.

Other inmates without further appeals in South Carolina include Richard Moore, Brad Sigmon, Marion Bowman, and Mikal Mahdi, all convicted of various crimes across the state. South Carolina currently houses 32 inmates on death row.