South Carolina executes man convicted of murder in state’s third execution since September

A South Carolina inmate was executed connected Friday, the 3rd clip successful 4 months the authorities has carried retired the decease punishment arsenic it goes done a backlog of inmates who exhausted their appeals erstwhile the authorities was incapable to get lethal injection drugs.

Marion Bowman Jr., 44, was executed by lethal injection astatine 6:27 p.m. for his execution condemnation successful the shooting decease of his friend, 21-year-old Kandee Martin, whose burned assemblage was recovered successful the trunk of a car successful 2001.

Bowman has maintained his innocence since his arrest. He said astatine the opening of his last statement: "I did not termination Kandee Martin."

His lawyers raised questions astir his conviction, noting that helium was convicted connected the connection of respective friends and relatives who received plea deals with prosecutors successful speech for their testimony.

SOUTH CAROLINA MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH CONCERNED ABOUT DRUG AFTER ISSUE DURING NOVEMBER EXECUTION

Marion Bowman Jr., 44, was executed by lethal injection astatine 6:27 p.m. (South Carolina Department of Corrections via AP)

When the curtain to the decease enclosure opened, Bowman concisely looked astatine his lawyer connected the different broadside of the solid successful the witnesser country earlier looking backmost up astatine the ceiling and closing his eyes, opening his eyes erstwhile oregon doubly arsenic helium looked up.

After Bowman's lawyer finished speechmaking his last connection and poem, his breathing became heavy, and helium puffed his lips arsenic helium exhaled. In little than a minute, his breathing stopped. Twenty minutes later, a doc with a stethoscope listened to his thorax and placed a manus connected his neck, patting him arsenic she finished.

Bowman said successful his last connection that decease enactment inmates mightiness beryllium viewed arsenic the worst of the worst, but they person each grown and changed from what "they were erstwhile they had their infinitesimal that outgo them everything."

"I cognize that Kandee’s household is successful pain, they are justifiably angry," Bowman said. "If my decease brings them immoderate alleviation and quality to absorption connected the bully times and comic stories, past I conjecture it volition person served a purpose. I anticipation they find peace."

For his last meal, Bowman had fried seafood, including shrimp, food and oysters, arsenic good arsenic chickenhearted wings and tenders, bulb rings, banana pudding, German cocoa cake, cranberry foodstuff and pineapple juice.

Bowman was offered a plea woody for a beingness condemnation but alternatively went to proceedings due to the fact that helium said helium was not guilty.

His execution was the 3rd successful South Carolina since September, erstwhile the authorities – erstwhile 1 of the busiest for executions – ended a 13-year intermission successful carrying retired the decease penalty. The intermission was caused successful portion by the authorities having trouble obtaining lethal injection drugs aft its proviso expired due to the fact that of pharmaceutical companies' concerns that they would person to disclose they had sold the drugs to authorities officials. The authorities legislature past passed a shield instrumentality allowing officials to support lethal injection cause suppliers private.

SOUTH CAROLINA SCHEDULING EXECUTIONS AGAIN AFTER A PAUSE FOR THE HOLIDAYS

This photograph shows the state's decease enclosure successful Columbia, South Carolina, including the electrical chair, right, and a firing squad chair, left. (South Carolina Department of Corrections via AP, File)

In July, the state Supreme Court cleared the mode to resume executions. Freddie Owens was enactment to decease connected Sept. 20 and Richard Moore was executed connected Nov. 1, with some men choosing to dice by lethal injection.

This was the archetypal execution successful the U.S. this twelvemonth aft 25 were carried retired successful the state past year. The tribunal volition let an execution each 5 weeks until the different 3 inmates who person tally retired of appeals are enactment to death.

South Carolina has executed 46 inmates since the decease punishment was resumed successful the U.S. successful 1976. In the aboriginal 2000s, the authorities was carrying retired an mean of 3 executions per year. Only 9 states person killed much inmates.

Bowman did not inquire Republican Gov. Henry McMaster for clemency, but the governor's bureau inactive released a missive denying clemency, noting that helium received informal requests and petitions to spare Bowman's life.

No politician successful the authorities has ever reduced a decease condemnation to beingness successful situation without parole successful the modern epoch of the decease penalty.

Bowman's lawyer, Lindsey Vann, said his lawsuit did not privation to walk further decades successful situation for a transgression helium did not commit. He had already spent much than fractional his beingness connected decease row.

"After much than 2 decades of battling a breached strategy that has failed him astatine each turn, Marion’s determination is simply a almighty refusal to legitimize an unjust process that has already stolen truthful overmuch of his life," Vann said successful a connection Thursday.

Bowman was convicted successful Dorchester County successful 2002 successful transportation with Martin's decease the twelvemonth before. Several friends and household members testified against him arsenic portion of plea deals with prosecutors.

One person said Bowman was upset due to the fact that Martin owed him money, portion a 2nd testified that Bowman believed Martin was wearing a signaling instrumentality to person him arrested.

The country wherever inmates are executed successful Columbus, South Carolina. (South Carolina Department of Corrections via AP)

Bowman said helium sold drugs to Martin, who was a person of his for years, and sometimes she would wage with sex, but helium said helium did not termination her.

The last entreaty from his existent lawyers argued that Bowman's proceedings lawyer was not prepared and had excessively overmuch sympathy for the achromatic unfortunate and not Bowman, who is black. The South Carolina Supreme Court rejected the argument.

Bowman's lawyers besides raised concerns astir his execution owed to his weight. An anesthesiologist said helium feared South Carolina's concealed lethal injection protocols did not instrumentality into relationship that Bowman, listed arsenic 389 pounds successful situation records, was heavier, arsenic it tin beryllium hard to decently insert an IV into a humor vas and find the dose of the drugs needed successful radical with obesity.

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His lawyers were acrophobic that the cause utilized to enactment Moore to decease successful November required 2 ample doses much than 11 minutes apart.

An anesthesiologist progressive successful reviewing Moore's autopsy records said they showed fluid successful the lungs, starring lawyers to judge helium "consciously experienced feelings of drowning and suffocation during the 23 minutes that it took to bring astir his death."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.