His execution began at 6:35 p.m. ET and he was pronounced dead 20 minutes later at 6:55 p.m. A South Carolina jury found Owens guilty of murdering Irene Grainger Graves, 41, a single mother of three whose son described her as a hard-working and fun mom in an interview with USA TODAY this week.

South Carolina has put 43 people to death since the death penalty was restarted in the U.S. in 1976. In the early 2000s, it was carrying out an average of three executions a year. Only nine states have put more people to death.