South Carolina death row inmate Freddie Eugene Owens, set to be the state's first execution in over a decade, will likely be given a week to choose between three methods by which his death penalty is to be carried out.
Knewz.com has learned that the state can carry out the execution using lethal injection, firing squad, or the electric chair.
It has been reported that if he does not make a choice, he will be sent to the electric chair by default.
Within five days, the prison director will have to confirm that all three execution methods are available.
The director will also have to provide proof to Owens' lawyers that the lethal injection drug to be used on him is stable and correctly mixed, as required by law.
Attorney John Blume said in this regard, "The lack of transparency about the source of the execution drugs, how they were obtained and whether (they) can bring about as painless a death as possible is still of grave concern to the lawyers that represent persons on death row."
After the aforementioned steps are fulfilled, Owens will have seven days to let the state know of his decision.
It has been pointed out that Owens – who was convicted of the murder of a store clerk in Greenville, South Carolina, in 1997 – also has the option to plead for a reduced sentence, in this case, life imprisonment without parole, with Republican Governor Henry McMaster.
However, no South Carolina governor has "ever granted clemency in the modern era of the death penalty," it has been reported.
It is worth noting that the last execution in the state was back in May 2011, over 13 years ago.
According to reports, the substantial gap between the two executions could be attributed to the depleted supply of lethal injection drugs in South Carolina.
In addition, companies started refusing to sell the state any more drugs for execution under fears that the transaction could become public.
With the state having passed new legislation that ensured secrecy regarding the name of the suppliers of lethal injection drugs – along with the introduction of the firing squad – executions have resumed in South Carolina after more than a decade.
However, the shrouded origin of the drugs to be used in lethal injection naturally raised concerns among attorneys representing those on death row.
To put the concerns to rest, the legislation included that the prison director will have to provide absolute proof to the defense lawyers of the purity and effectiveness of the lethal injection drug to be used.
It is worth noting that the state of Indiana has also announced the resumption of the death penalty after around 14 years, having finally acquired the drug Pentobarbital used in lethal injections.
Indiana Republican Governor Eric Holcomb mentioned that the state's Department of Correction managed this feat "after years of effort."
Attorney General Todd Rokita issued a statement regarding the matter, saying:
"In Indiana, state law authorizes the death penalty as a means of providing justice for victims of society’s most heinous crimes and holding perpetrators accountable… Further, it serves as an effective deterrent for certain potential offenders who might otherwise commit similar extreme crimes of violence."
"Now that the Indiana Department of Correction is prepared to carry out the lawfully imposed sentence, it’s incumbent on our justice system to immediately enable executions in our prisons to resume."