{"id":2343649,"date":"2024-09-19T20:17:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-20T00:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/witness-whose-testimony-put-man-on-death-row-makes-bombshell-confession-days-before-lethal-injection\/"},"modified":"2024-09-19T20:18:57","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T00:18:57","slug":"witness-whose-testimony-put-man-on-death-row-makes-bombshell-confession-days-before-lethal-injection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/witness-whose-testimony-put-man-on-death-row-makes-bombshell-confession-days-before-lethal-injection\/","title":{"rendered":"Witness Whose Testimony Put Man on Death Row Makes Bombshell Confession Days Before Lethal Injection"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwitness-whose-testimony-put-man-on-death-row-makes-bombshell-confession-days-before-lethal-injection%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2343649&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A witness who played a crucial role in\u200b convicting Freddie Owens, who\u2062 is \u200dscheduled for execution in South Carolina, recently confessed that Owens was not present during the\u200d crime for which he was \u200csentenced to \u200bdeath. The witness, Steven\u200b Golden, who\u2063 was Owens&#8217; co-defendant, stated in an \u2062affidavit that he was pressured by detectives \u200bto testify against Owens and was afraid for his life \u2063if\u200d he named the real shooter. Owens \u2064was convicted in 1999 for the murder of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/3-dead-2-injured-after-shooting-in-la-gun-shop\/\" title=\"3 dead, 2 injured after shooting in La. gun shop\">store clerk<\/a>, Irene Graves, but Golden now claims that his previous statements were \u2062coerced and inconsistent with the \u200cnew revelation. \u200cDespite this last-minute confession\u200b and an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/amber-heard-tells-jurors-people-want-to-kill-my-baby-in-the-microwave\/\" title=\"Amber Heard Tells Jurors: \u201cPeople Want to Kill My Baby in the Microwave\u201d\">emergency motion filed<\/a> by Owens\u2019 lawyers to halt the execution, the South Carolina Attorney \u200dGeneral has dismissed Golden&#8217;s claims, maintaining that evidence \u2064supports Owens&#8217; guilt. As the \u200cscheduled execution approaches, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-nevada-a-corrupt-cash-for-votes-scheme-is-hiding-in-plain-sight\/\" title=\"In Nevada, A Corrupt Cash-For-Votes Scheme Is Hiding In Plain Sight\">advocacy groups<\/a> are \u200drallying \u2063against the \u200bdeath\u200c penalty, and calls for clemency have been made \u2064to Governor Henry\u2062 McMaster, who has yet to indicate he will intervene. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oliver-darcy-tries-to-get-tucker-carlson-cancelled\/\" title=\"Oliver Darcy attempts to cancel Tucker Carlson\">situation raises significant concerns<\/a> about\u2063 the reliability of witness testimony and the \u2063justice system&#8217;s\u2063 handling of\u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/public-defender-drops-mom-of-idaho-massacre-victim-to-represent-daughters-alleged-killer\/\" title=\"Public Defender Drops Mom of Idaho Massacre Victim to Represent Daughter\u2019s Alleged Killer\">capital punishment cases<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> <script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>A witness whose testimony was instrumental in putting a man on death row has made a bombshell confession days before the convicted man was scheduled for lethal injection.<\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, lawyers for Freddie Owens filed an emergency motion to halt his execution, scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday at a South Carolina <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/assassination-attempt-suspect-appears-court-charged-crimes-carry-max-penalty-20-years-prison\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">prison<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Owens was convicted in a trial following the 1997 killing of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/transgender-female-allegedly-attacks-womens-shelter-stabs-warden-gruesome-scene-organs-exposed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Greenville<\/a> store clerk Irene Graves.<\/p>\n<p>In the motion, lawyers included a sworn statement from the witness saying Owens was not even present for the murder that resulted in his death sentence.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The detectives told me they knew Freddie was with me when I robbed the Speedway,&rdquo; Steven Golden, Owens&rsquo; co-defendant who testified that his friend pulled the trigger, wrote in the affidavit according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenvilleonline.com\/story\/news\/2024\/09\/19\/activists-deliver-petition-asking-gov-mcmaster-to-grant-clemency\/75293738007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Greenville News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>  <script> \t\t\t\tif( ! getCookie( 'ff_subbed' ) ) if( typeof FFADS.replace_ict !='undefined' ) if( FFADS.replace_ict ) eval( FFADS.replace_ict ); \t\t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They told me I might as well make a statement against Freddie because he already told his side to everyone, and they were just trying to get my side of the story,&rdquo; he continued.&rdquo; I was scared that I would get the death penalty if I didn&rsquo;t make a statement.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I signed a waiver of rights form and then signed a statement on Nov. 11, 1997.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Golden, who dodged the death penalty but was sentenced to 28 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter, said he was on cocaine while talking to police, pressured by law enforcement and also in fear of the &ldquo;real&rdquo; killer,&nbsp;according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/south-carolina-execution-freddie-owens-lethal-injection-0fc84d5a5b1e39c0c06b8cc318b2887a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I thought the real shooter or his associates might kill me if I named him to police,&rdquo; Golden said in the affidavit. &ldquo;I am still afraid of that. But Freddie was not there.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The eleventh hour confession may not be enough to save Owens&rsquo; life.<\/p>\n<p>In a response to the filing, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson dismissed the claims made by Golden in the emergency motion according o he Greenville News.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The filing for reconsideration shows only one point very clearly,&rdquo; Wilson said, &ldquo;that Golden has now made a sworn statement that is contrary to his multiple other sworn statements over 20 years, those prior statements being consistent with the other evidence that Owens was the shooter.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>South Carolina&rsquo;s highest court has already refused to halt Owens&rsquo; execution after an earlier attempt by his lawyers and Golden to shake the conviction.<\/p>\n<p>Gov. Henry McMaster, who also has the power to stay Owens&rsquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ap-state-scraps-lethal-drug-combo-upcoming-execution-fears-cause-excruciating-suffering\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">execution<\/a>, has been asked to grant the convict clemency. He has not hinted that he will spare the convicted murderer, however.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;That decision is one to be made [on Friday] and announced at that time, and that&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;ll do,&rdquo; McMaster said last week.<\/p>\n<p>State groups aligned against the death penalty, including South Carolinians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, have protested Owens&rsquo; impending execution and have planned vigils for after his death.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none; overflow: hidden;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fscadeathpenalty%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02rervXMcffF1egsGjdHNEQHVZQXBqwXVoKE1CRE8BHuVzahGwkQj9DXhvKM2aBEzbl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"610\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Shortly after his 1999 conviction for Graves&rsquo; murder, Owens killed a fellow inmate in a torturous fashion, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/greenvillejournal.com\/news\/execution-now-on-hold\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Greenville Journal<\/a>. The victim, Christopher Bryan Lee, was allegedly ribbing Owens about Graves&rsquo; killing during a 24-hour holding period immediately following the trial.<\/p>\n<p>Owens knocked the man to the ground, where he rammed a ballpoint pen into his eye before stabbing it in the man&rsquo;s throat. Owens then choked the man with a sheet, but failed to kill him. Lee&rsquo;s head was slammed into the ground, and Owens began burning the victim&rsquo;s eyes and hair with a cigarette lighter.<\/p>\n<p>Owens later heard the shattered and broken man moaning from his cell. He returned to his victim and suffocated the man to death.<\/p>\n<p>Friday&rsquo;s execution, if allowed to continue, will end a tragic, decades-long saga.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> <label>* Name<\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> <\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> <label>* <\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> <\/div>\n<p> <label>* Message<\/label> <br \/> <textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea>  <\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\">  <\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A key witness whose testimony led to a man&#8217;s death sentence has made a shocking confession just days before the scheduled execution. On Wednesday, Freddie Owens&#8217; attorneys submitted an emergency motion to stop his execution, set for 6 p.m. Friday at a prison in South Carolina. Owens was found guilty in connection with the 1997 murder of Irene Graves, a store clerk in Greenville. The motion included a sworn statement from the witness asserting that Owens was not present during the murder that led to his death penalty.<\/p>\n<p>Steven Golden, who was Owens&#8217; co-defendant and initially testified that Owens fired the fatal shot, stated in his affidavit that detectives pressured him into making statements against Owens. He claimed they suggested he should testify against his friend since they believed he had already shared his version of events with others. Golden expressed fear of receiving the death penalty if he did not comply and mentioned being under the influence of cocaine during police questioning.<\/p>\n<p>Despite this last-minute confession, it may not be sufficient to save Owens\u2019 life. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson dismissed Golden&#8217;s claims as inconsistent with previous statements made over two decades and supported by other evidence indicating that Owens was indeed the shooter.<\/p>\n<p>The state&#8217;s highest court has previously denied requests to halt Owen&#8217;s execution after earlier attempts by both his lawyers and Golden failed to overturn the conviction. Governor Henry McMaster has been urged to grant clemency but has not indicated any intention to do so.<\/p>\n<p>If carried out as planned on Friday, this execution will conclude a tragic saga spanning several decades. Following his conviction for Graves&#8217; murder in 1999, it is reported that Owens killed another inmate brutally while incarcerated\u2014a violent act stemming from taunts related to Graves\u2019 murder<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2343650,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Freddie-Owens.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[27021,41272,41273,6993],"class_list":["post-2343649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-confession","tag-death-row","tag-legal-drama","tag-witness"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Freddie-Owens.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2343649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2343649"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2343649\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2343650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2343649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2343649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2343649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}