• About BreezyScroll
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact Us
Monday, May 12, 2025
BreezyScroll
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Home
  • Breezy Stories
  • Technology
  • Gaming
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • World
  • Money
  • Sports
  • Breezy Explainer
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Breezy Stories
  • Technology
  • Gaming
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • World
  • Money
  • Sports
  • Breezy Explainer
No Result
View All Result
BreezyScroll
No Result
View All Result

Home  /  World  /  The US  /  Innocent man to be executed? The South Carolina Supreme Court allows lethal injection despite witness changing testimony

Innocent man to be executed? The South Carolina Supreme Court allows lethal injection despite witness changing testimony

by Siddhi Vinayak Misra
September 20, 2024
in The US, World
Reading Time: 3 mins read
Innocent man to be executed? The South Carolina Supreme Court allows lethal injection despite witness changing testimony

Key Witness Recants, but South Carolina Supreme Court Upholds Execution of Khalil Divine Black Sun Allah

A key witness in a decades-old murder case has recanted his testimony, claiming that, formerly known as Freddie Owens, did not commit the crime for which he is set to be executed. Despite the new testimony, South Carolina’s Supreme Court rejected the appeal late Thursday, allowing the execution to proceed as scheduled on Friday, September 20.

ADVERTISEMENT

Witness recants: “Owens was not there”

Steven Golden, a co-defendant in the 1997 armed robbery that resulted in the fatal shooting of a store worker, has written to the court stating that Owens was wrongfully convicted. Golden, who was 18 at the time of the crime, testified against Owens during the trial, which led to Owens’ execution sentence.

In a new affidavit, Golden admitted that his original testimony was false, saying Owens was not present at the crime scene. He claimed fear for his life drove him to falsely implicate Owens, as he feared retaliation from the actual shooter’s associates. Golden also said he was under the influence of drugs during his initial police interrogation and that prosecutors had offered him leniency in exchange for his testimony.

“I am coming forward now to clear my conscience,” Golden said in his statement to the court.

ADVERTISEMENT

Conviction and legal battle

Khalil Divine Black Sun Allah, now 46, was sentenced to death for the murder of a female store worker during the robbery in 1997. Owens, who was 19 at the time, has consistently maintained his innocence. Although CCTV footage captured two masked men during the robbery, there was no forensic evidence linking Owens to the shooting.

During the original trial, Golden agreed to testify against Owens, becoming a key witness for the prosecution. Golden’s testimony played a critical role in securing Owens’ conviction, while Golden avoided the death penalty.

Supreme Court rejects new testimony

Despite the explosive new claims, prosecutors dismissed Golden’s recantation as unreliable, questioning the credibility of the witness and the timing of his new statements. The state’s attorney general argued that the new testimony did not constitute “exceptional circumstances” and should not impact Owens’ scheduled execution.

The South Carolina Supreme Court sided with the prosecution late Thursday, ruling that Golden’s new affidavit was not sufficient to warrant a reprieve for Owens. The court determined that the evidence presented did not meet the legal threshold to halt the execution.

ADVERTISEMENT

Execution set to proceed

As Owens’ legal team continues to fight for a halt to the execution, time is running out. Barring last-minute intervention, Owens is likely to be executed on Friday. The case has drawn widespread attention, raising questions about the reliability of witness testimony and the possibility of wrongful convictions in death penalty cases.

This comes amidst broader national debates about capital punishment in the U.S., with recent reports highlighting the high rate of botched execution attempts.

Tags: South Carolina
ShareTweetShareSend
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Recent Articles

India’s iron shield: DRDO’s D4 anti-drone system proves formidable at border—All about it

India’s iron shield: DRDO’s D4 anti-drone system proves formidable at border—All about it

May 10, 2025
“Enough is Enough”: After EaseMyTrip And Cox & Kings, Ixigo halts bookings to Turkey, China, and Azerbaijan

“Enough is Enough”: After EaseMyTrip And Cox & Kings, Ixigo halts bookings to Turkey, China, and Azerbaijan

May 10, 2025
Osama bin Laden, nukes, and djinns: The shadowy past behind Pakistan Army’s media chief

Osama bin Laden, nukes, and djinns: The shadowy past behind Pakistan Army’s media chief

May 10, 2025
Breezy Explainer: What is an air defense system and how India shot down Pakistan’s drone and Fatah missile attacks

Breezy Explainer: What is an air defense system and how India shot down Pakistan’s drone and Fatah missile attacks

May 10, 2025
BreezyScroll Logo

BreezyScroll is a global content platform that provides a unique experience of enhancing the knowledge quotient for its audience by providing the latest news and updates from various categories such as politics, sports, entertainment, technology, and more.
The platform aims to provide a concise and easy-to-read format for its users. BreezyScroll covers news stories from around the world, majorly the United States. The platform was launched in 2021 and has become one of the fastest-growing content companies in the US.

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Animals
  • Asia
  • Athletics
  • Australia
  • Auto
  • Basketball
  • Bollywood
  • Brand
  • Breezy Explainer
  • Breezy Feature
  • Breezy Soul
  • Business
  • Canada
  • Chess
  • China
  • Coronavirus
  • Cricket
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Environment
  • EPL
  • Europe
  • Exclusive Interview
  • Exclusive Review
  • Football
  • Gaming
  • Health
  • Hollywood
  • India
  • International
  • K Pop
  • Law
  • Lifestyle
  • Middle East
  • Money
  • NFL
  • North America
  • OTT
  • Paris Olympics
  • Pets
  • Press Releases
  • Russia
  • Science
  • South America
  • Space
  • Sports
  • Startup
  • Technology
  • Tennis
  • Tennis
  • The Achievers
  • The US
  • Travel
  • UK
  • UK
  • Uncategorized
  • World
  • WWE

Trending Topics

Afghanistan AI Apple Australia Biden California Canada China Climate Change Coronavirus COVID-19 Donald Trump Elon Musk Featured Florida Google IPL Japan Joe Biden Mars Meta Moon NASA NBA Netflix New York North Korea Ohio Omicron Putin Queen Elizabeth II Russia Russia-Ukraine crisis South Korea SpaceX Taliban Tesla Texas TikTok Trump Twitter UK Ukraine USA Virat Kohli

No Result
View All Result
  • About BreezyScroll
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact Us

© 2024 · BreezyScroll.com

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Breezy Stories
  • Technology
  • Gaming
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • World
  • Money
  • Sports
  • Breezy Explainer

© 2024 · BreezyScroll.com

Go to mobile version