SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, June 11, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A death warrant has been approved and an execution date set for convicted murderer Taberone Honie after decades of failed appeals.
Honie was convicted of the 1998 aggravated murder of 49-year-old Claudia Benn, the mother of his ex-girlfriend. He was 22 at that time, and used a knife to cut his victim’s throat four times, according to court documents.
Honie, now 48, has been on death row for a quarter century.
On Monday, 5th District Court Judge Jeffrey C. Wilcox signed a death warrant in the case of the State of Utah vs. Taberon Honie. That came days after the state announced a new, experimental lethal injection drug combination of ketamine, fentanyl and potassium chloride.
The execution date is set for just after midnight on Aug. 8 of this year.
The Utah Department of Corrections says witnesses allowed to view the execution may include the prosecuting attorney, or a designated deputy, of the county in which the offense was committed, which was Iron County; No more than two law enforcement officials from the county in which the offense was committed; The state’s attorney general or a designee; religious representatives, friends, or relatives designated by the defendant, not exceeding a total of five persons; no more than five close relatives of the deceased victim; a selected pool media witnesses; and no more than three correctional officials from other states that are preparing for executions, with no more than two from any one state.
“The Department of Corrections has specific policies in place that seek to maximize movement through the general prison environs during an execution, while also securing the facility and all those involved in the process,” a news release says. “UDC will provide an opportunity for demonstrators to express their opinions, whether in favor of or against capital punishment, as long as they do so in a lawful manner.”
Honie will be offered a last meal, containing no alcohol, which will be granted at the discretion of UDC officials, the statement says. He will also be given an opportunity to offer any last words prior to execution of the death warrant.
Honie’s attorney says he plans to appeal the execution decision.
Utah has executed seven convicted killers since 1976. The most recent was Ronnie Lee Gardner in 2010.
