‘Freddie was actually not there’: Inmate set to be executed didn’t kill Upstate woman, codefendant now says
Posted on 09/19/2024
GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The attorneys for Freddie Owens, a convicted killer scheduled to be put to death Friday, have filed an emergency motion asking the South Carolina Supreme Court to reconsider postponing his execution. A codefendant in the deadly Greenville County robbery has signed an affidavit with new information.
Owens was convicted of shooting store clerk Irene Graves in the head at Speedway on Laurens Road in 1997. Prosecutors said he was angry she wasn’t opening the safe fast enough.
Steven Golden, who was also part of the robbery, signed an affidavit on Thursday saying, “Freddie Owens is not the person who shot Irene Graves.”
Golden said he was high on cocaine and marijuana when he was arrested on Nov. 11 and questioned by police. At the time, he signed a statement saying Owens shot Graves in the head. He also testified against Owens during his murder trial.
“In that statement, I substituted Freddie for the person who was really with me in the Speedway that night,” the affidavit states. “I did that because I knew that’s what the police wanted me to say, and also because I thought the real shooter or his associates might kill me if I named him to the police. I am still afraid of that. But Freddie was actually not there.”
Golden went on to say, “I don’t want Freddie to be executed for something he didn’t do. This has weighed heavily on my mind and I want to have a clear conscience.”
Golden was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in the robbery after testifying against Owens.
Owens’ attorneys said the new information entitles Owens to a post-conviction relief hearing. The South Carolina Supreme Court previously denied a request to postpone Owens’ execution.
In the 24-hour holding period between Owens’ murder conviction in 1999 and his sentencing, officials said he brutally killed Christopher Bryan Lee, a cellmate at the Greenville County Detention Center. Owens was never prosecuted for Lee’s murder.
Stay with FOX Carolina for updates on this developing story. For full coverage of the case, click here.
Owens was convicted of shooting store clerk Irene Graves in the head at Speedway on Laurens Road in 1997. Prosecutors said he was angry she wasn’t opening the safe fast enough.
Steven Golden, who was also part of the robbery, signed an affidavit on Thursday saying, “Freddie Owens is not the person who shot Irene Graves.”
Golden said he was high on cocaine and marijuana when he was arrested on Nov. 11 and questioned by police. At the time, he signed a statement saying Owens shot Graves in the head. He also testified against Owens during his murder trial.
“In that statement, I substituted Freddie for the person who was really with me in the Speedway that night,” the affidavit states. “I did that because I knew that’s what the police wanted me to say, and also because I thought the real shooter or his associates might kill me if I named him to the police. I am still afraid of that. But Freddie was actually not there.”
Golden went on to say, “I don’t want Freddie to be executed for something he didn’t do. This has weighed heavily on my mind and I want to have a clear conscience.”
Golden was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in the robbery after testifying against Owens.
Owens’ attorneys said the new information entitles Owens to a post-conviction relief hearing. The South Carolina Supreme Court previously denied a request to postpone Owens’ execution.
In the 24-hour holding period between Owens’ murder conviction in 1999 and his sentencing, officials said he brutally killed Christopher Bryan Lee, a cellmate at the Greenville County Detention Center. Owens was never prosecuted for Lee’s murder.
Stay with FOX Carolina for updates on this developing story. For full coverage of the case, click here.
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