On Thursday, a Utah man was executed for a 1998 crime, marking the second execution in the U.S. this week.
Taberon Dave Honie, 48, was executed by lethal injection at the Utah State Correctional Facility in Salt Lake City. He had been on death row for over 25 years and was pronounced dead at 12:25 a.m. local time. This was Utah’s first execution in 14 years.
In his final statement, Honie urged his fellow inmates to continue striving for change. “From the start, it’s been, if it needs to be done for them to heal, let’s do this. If they tell you you can’t change, don’t listen to them. To all my brothers and sisters here, continue to change. I love you all. Take care,” he said.
The day before, Texas executed Arthur Lee Burton, 54, for the 1997 murder of Nancy Adleman, who was attacked while jogging in her Houston neighborhood. Burton was executed by lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, with his death occurring at 6:47 p.m. He was convicted of strangling Adleman with her own shoelaces.
Despite appeals from Burton’s lawyers, who argued he was intellectually disabled and should be exempt from the death penalty, the Supreme Court denied their request without comment. In his final statement, Burton expressed remorse: “To all the people I have hurt and caused pain, I wish we didn’t have to be here at this moment, but I want you to know that I am sorry for putting y’all through this.”
With Burton’s execution, Texas has now carried out three executions this year, and there have been 12 nationwide. The death penalty has been abolished in 23 U.S. states, with six others currently holding moratoriums.
