SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, August 8, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Two of Utah’s top office holders issued statements early Thursday morning following the execution of convicted killer Taberon Honie, including a call by Attorney General Sean Reyes for opponents of the death penalty to “allow grace” for those who carried out the execution “in some cases, in spite of their own personal views.”
Honie, 48, was pronounced dead at 12:25 a.m., after being injected with two lethal doses of pentobarbital in the Utah State Correctional Facility’s execution chamber.
Honie was originally sentenced to death in 1999, one year after he brutally murdered his former girlfriend’s mother, 49-year-old Claudia Benn, in her Cedar City home. He had spent the last 25 years on death row.
In a press release issued at 2:57 a.m., Gov. Spencer J. Cox thanked those who carried out the execution, the first in the state since the 2010 firing squad death of Ronnie Lee Gardner.
A day earlier Cox denied a request by Honie’s legal team to delay the execution, after they questioned the manner in which the Utah Department of Corrections obtained the pentobarbital ultimately used to kill Honie. The lawyers claimed the UDOC’s procurement process was “shrouded in secrecy” and a reprieve necessary to “ensure a safe process.”
Cox denied the request, noting Honie had been afforded and exhausted multiple appeals over the course of 25 years, writing “it is not clear to me that any benefit would come from delaying Mr. Honie’s sentence further.”
About two hours after Honie’s execution Cox released the following statement:
“Early this morning the state of Utah fulfilled its legal obligation to carry out the execution of Taberon Honie. The actions of Mr. Honie that led to his death sentence are heinous. I respect the process of our criminal justice system, and recognize the countless public servants who meticulously planned and approached their responsibilities with professionalism. I hope this brings closure to those impacted by the crimes. My heart goes out to the victim’s family.”
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes also released a statement, thanking those who carried out the execution for their professionalism, while also acknowledging the death penalty is an emotionally charged and divisive issue, for the public and corrections officers and officials alike.
“We understand there are deeply held beliefs, powerful emotions and divergent views regarding the death penalty. Death by execution is one of the most extreme uses of government power. Many would argue it is ineffective, improper and beyond the authority of man to exercise. Many would disagree.
“But, there is no dispute that the violent and unprovoked taking of innocent lives from fellow human beings is among the crimes deemed by society to be most vile, repugnant and punishable by the harshest measures possible. In states like Utah, that includes the death penalty.
“As such, the State of Utah approached the exercise of its power and attendant responsibilities with the seriousness and solemnity that such an act merits. We hope opponents of the death penalty allow grace for those who carried out their duties as required by the law and did so with respect, professionalism, and, in some cases, in spite of their own personal views.
“We also hope that this act is a deterrent to other heinous crimes and pray it provides some measure of comfort to those who have been awaiting justice for decades.”
Honie’s death marked the eighth execution carried out in Utah since 1976, when the U.S. Supreme Court reversed its 1972 decision declaring the states’ random enforcement of capital punishment a violation of the 8th Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
