South Carolina executed its first death row inmate in 13 years, using lethal injection against Freddie Owens.
Owens, 46, was convicted by a jury of killing store clerk Irene Graves during an armed robbery in Greenville in 1997.
He was executed despite his co-defendant signing an affidavit this week claiming Owens was not present at the time of the robbery and murder.
The South Carolina Supreme Court refused to stop Owens’ execution, citing that the statements were inconsistent with testimony at his trial.
Owens was executed at the Broad River Penitentiary in Columbia, South Carolina, on Friday night.
He was pronounced dead at 18:55 local time (22:55 GMT) after being injected with a drug called pentobarbital. He did not make a final statement.
His death came after the state halted executions because prison officials were unable to obtain the drugs needed for lethal injections.
Owens was sentenced to death in 1999, two years after killing Graves, after being convicted of murder, armed robbery and conspiracy to commit a crime.
A day after being convicted, he killed his cellmate in prison, CNN affiliate WHNS reported.
According to a report on Owens’ trial by The State newspaper in South Carolina, Owens was 19 when he and Steve Golden, then 18, held Graves at gunpoint while trying to rob the convenience store where she worked.
According to Golden’s testimony at Owens’ trial, Owens shot Graves to death after she failed to open a safe under the counter.
At the time of her death, Graves was a 41-year-old single mother of three.
Owens’ lawyers have tried to block his execution several times, including twice in September. But the court has rejected all requests.
In their latest effort, attorneys pointed to an affidavit signed by Golden on Wednesday, which asserted Owens’ innocence.
The court rejected the request to stop the execution, saying the new affidavit “is completely inconsistent with Golden’s testimony at Owens’ 1999 trial” and statements he made to police shortly after his arrest.
Other witnesses testified that Owens told them he shot Graves, prosecutors said.
Death penalty opponents and Owens’ mother also appealed to the state for clemency, but were denied by Governor Henry McMaster.
Hours before Owens’ execution, his mother stated that it was “a grave injustice to my son”.
Freddie’s mother, Dora Mason, said: “Freddie has maintained his innocence from day one,” according to local news outlet Greenville News.
Prisoners in South Carolina are allowed to choose their death penalty from lethal injection, electric chair or firing squad.
According to the Greenville News, Owens deferred the decision to his attorney, who opted for a lethal injection.
Journalists who witnessed the execution said members of Graves’ family were also present.
