Utah executes convicted killer Taberon Honie

Pat Reavy and Collin Leonard, KSL.com

SALT LAKE CITY (KSL.com) — The authorities of Utah executed Taberon Dave Honie by lethal injection conscionable aft midnight Thursday, 25 years aft he was convicted of brutally sidesplitting his ex-girlfriend’s mother successful beforehand of her 3 granddaughters.

Corrections officials announced astatine 12:30 a.m. that nan execution had successfully occurred.

At 12:03 a.m., Honie gave his last statement. “From nan commencement it’s been — if it needs to beryllium done for them to heal, let’s do this. If they show you you can’t change, don’t perceive to them. To each my brothers and sisters here, proceed to change. I emotion you all. Take care.”

Seven media witnesses representing section news organizations, including KSL.com, were coming successful nan viewing chamber, and they held a 2 a.m. property convention to talk nan execution. By that time, astir a mates twelve protesters had gone home. Every ray successful nan situation parking batch attracted heavy swarms of mosquitoes for illustration chaotic snowfall falling successful each directions.

The mini insects coated nan sidewalks and windows, stirring successful circles connected nan ground.

About 2 twelve intense protesters earlier held signs and immoderate knelt successful dream astir a mile distant from nan situation successful a free reside area that nan corrections section designated.

Ben Winslow from Fox 13 said erstwhile nan curtain was drawn, nan group saw Honie looking up, lifting his head. His arms were strapped to nan array and IVs ran from some of his arms retired of nan room wherever unseen aesculapian unit administered nan drug.

“A achromatic expanse was pulled up somewhat supra his stomach, beneath his chest,” explained Sarah Murphy from ABC 4. “You could spot nan emergence and autumn pinch each breath.”

‘Continue to change,’ Honie urges chap inmates earlier being executed

The prison guard publication nan decease warrant, Winslow said, while Honie’s ft appeared to beryllium twitching. “We couldn’t show if it was retired of nervousness aliases whether it was conscionable a guidance that was happening.” The lethal injection began astatine 12:04, according to Utah Department of Corrections spokesperson Glen Mills.

“He did proceed to look around. He closed his eyes. His ft continued to pat and past stop,” Winslow said. The reporters noticed Honie appeared to beryllium mouthing thing to Warden Bart Mortenson and head of situation operations Randall Honey.

Honey said nan condemned man “simply stated, ‘Thank you for taking attraction of my family.’ And past he raised up his caput and looked complete to wherever his family was viewing and conscionable said, ‘I emotion you.'”

Reporters reported seeing Honie return a “deep exhaling activity and opened his rima wide,” his accelerated breathing slowed very quickly and his tegument “turned pale, turned blue.”

KSL.com newsman Pat Reavy said nan ambiance among reporters was somber and quiet. “You’re watching a personification die. It’s not mislaid connected you,” he said, but added that reporters were successful “work mode” and location to observe and accurately study really nan authorities conducted nan execution.

At 12:13 a.m., a 2nd lethal dose was administered, though witnesses were not alert that had occurred until nan property conference. Eight minutes later, nan electrocardiogram flatlined, showing nary heartbeat.

Mills said a expanse was placed complete nan Honie’s caput astatine that point, and he was pronounced dormant astatine 12:25 a.m.

Honie, 48, spent overmuch of Wednesday gathering pinch family members for nan last clip and told them to “keep your heads up.”

According to unit members who witnessed Honie’s last goodbyes, location were “lots of emotions and tears,” but he still managed to ace a fewer jokes, said Mills. He spent overmuch of his past hours unsocial listening to euphony connected a tablet provided to him.

Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes issued a prepared connection aft nan execution.

“The authorities of Utah approached nan workout of its powerfulness and attendant responsibilities pinch nan seriousness and solemnity that specified an enactment merits. We dream opponents of nan decease punishment let grace for those who carried retired their duties arsenic required by nan rule and did truthful pinch respect, professionalism, and successful immoderate cases successful spite of their ain individual views. We besides dream that this enactment is simply a deterrent to different heinous crimes and believe it provides immoderate measurement of comfortableness to those who person been awaiting justness for decades,” he said.

Last day

From astir 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. Wednesday, Honie met pinch family members who rotated 2 astatine a clip for information purposes successful seeing him, starting pinch his mother and father. He has besides met pinch his daughter, 3 sisters, 2 cousins, a brother-in-law, and an aunt, Mills said. Honie and his visitors are separated by a window. Mills says for astir of nan day, Honie has been talking while sitting connected nan level of his room, but by 8:22 p.m. he moved to his furniture to beryllium connected it. Family visits ended astatine 9 p.m.

Other visits had been pinch nan prison guard astatine nan prison, arsenic good arsenic 4 checkups by intelligence wellness workers. His temper had been described by corrections labor arsenic “gracious and appreciative” passim nan day.

After visiting pinch his family, Honie listened to euphony connected a tablet until his attorneys arrived, Mills said. Mills said according to unit members, nan speech was “jovial.” After his attorneys left, Honie has “just been connected his furniture pinch his tablet, listening to music,” Mills said astatine 10:30 p.m. He was offered a Valium but declined. Honie was unsocial successful nan study compartment from astir 10 p.m. until 11:30 p.m. erstwhile corrections unit members began prepping him for activity into nan execution chamber.

Honie was moved from his regular situation compartment to an study compartment adjacent to nan execution enclosure sometime astir 6:10 a.m. Wednesday. Honie said connected nan telephone pinch a belief advisor from nan Hopi Reservation and mostly said prayers, Mills said.

The last repast that he requested — a cheeseburger, fries and a milkshake — was delivered astir 4:30 p.m. However, Mills said Honie wanted administrators to convey to nan nationalist that he considered his last repast was 1 he had precocious pinch his family astatine nan prison.

Utah Department of Corrections Executive Director Brian Redd thanked members of nan media for being coming Wednesday and said he wants his section to beryllium “known arsenic a transparent and accountable organization.” He discussed nan challenges of mounting up a free reside area during nan execution that balances situation information and nan authorities of group to definitive their opinions. One of nan challenges, he said, is that astir of nan onshore surrounding nan situation is backstage spot and location are fewer roads starring successful and retired to nan prison.

Honie, who has been connected decease statement since 1999, was convicted of sidesplitting his ex-girlfriend’s mother, 49-year-old Claudia Marie Benn, successful beforehand of her 3 granddaughters connected July 9, 1998, successful Cedar City.

It was nan first execution astatine nan caller Utah State Correctional Facility, which officially opened successful July 2022, and nan first successful nan authorities successful 14 years.

The situation was placed connected lockdown successful mentation for nan execution Wednesday and remained locked down until 6 a.m. Thursday. Roadblocks were group up connected each roads starring into nan facility, located westbound of nan Salt Lake City International Airport.

“We really want to put an accent connected making judge we do this effectively, humanely and professionally,” Mills said Wednesday evening.

Mills admits location had been a different emotion among officers and unit members astatine nan situation this week knowing nan execution was approaching.

“It’s not thing that anyone who’s progressive pinch this looks guardant to aliases takes joyousness in, successful immoderate means. However, we each spot that arsenic a work of ours successful nan department, and we return it seriously, and we intend to transportation it retired successful a caring and master manner,” he said.

The execution enclosure is 24 feet by 38 feet. There were abstracted witnesser rooms, some pinch reflective solid to protect nan personality of witnesses. The windows are besides bulletproof “to protect nan witnesses from unintended ricochet, if firing squad is used,” according to nan department.

According to nan plan, aft Honie was strapped to a gurney successful nan room, 2 group were to participate and insert an IV. Those 2 were group to time off nan room and 2 different group would do nan injection. Those group were to beryllium successful a abstracted room and would not beryllium seen by immoderate witnesses aliases Honie successful bid to protect their identities.

Utah group for first execution successful 14 years; really did we get here?

Taberon Dave Honie, convicted of aggravated execution for nan 1998 decease of his ex-girlfriend’s mother, appealed his lawsuit complete 26 years.
The 2 group chosen are “trained successful accordance pinch accepted aesculapian practices to administer intravenous injections, who shall each administer a continuous intravenous injection, 1 of which shall beryllium of a lethal amount of sodium thiopental aliases different arsenic aliases much effective constituent capable to origin death. Based connected nan proposal of aesculapian professionals, nan supplier being utilized will beryllium pentobarbital,” according to nan Utah Department of Corrections.

Before nan lethal injection begins, Honie was to beryllium fixed nan opportunity arsenic he is strapped to nan gurney to speak immoderate past words. After nan injection, a expert will beryllium brought into nan enclosure to corroborate his death.

While not revealing their identities, corrections officials opportunity those participating successful nan lethal injection are not members of nan Department of Health and Human Services aliases nan Division of Correctional Health Services.

After he is pronounced deceased, Mills says nan situation is allowing Honie’s petition for his family to beryllium brought into nan room and execute a little belief ceremonial earlier his assemblage is removed. Likewise, he said nan corrections administrators allowed him to person a tube ceremonial connected Monday pinch a relative.

Utah’s execution history: Honie would beryllium state’s 8th execution since 1977

Utah executed six group from 1977 to 2000 aft nan decease punishment was reinstated. Only 1 personification has been put to decease since then. Taberon Honie is group to beryllium executed Thursday.

Honie was allowed to take up to 5 group who are either a belief representative, a friend aliases a comparative to witnesser his execution. Mills says Honie has picked 4 family members and his attorney. The identities of nan family members are expected to beryllium revealed aft nan execution. Seven of Benn’s relatives will besides beryllium witnessing nan execution. Their identities will not beryllium revealed until aft it is concluded. Seven members of nan media, each from Utah, were selected to beryllium witnesses, including KSL.com.

Other witnesses will see rule enforcers from Iron County, a prosecuting lawyer from Iron County, a typical from nan Utah Attorney General’s Office and up to 3 corrections officials.

Honie’s assemblage will beryllium turned complete to nan Utah State Medical Examiner’s Office. Once their appraisal is completed, Honie’s remains will beryllium dealt pinch based connected his wishes, but those wishes were not disclosed.