South Carolina Supreme Court to decide minimum time between executions

Associated Press

The South Carolina Supreme Court won’t allow another execution until it determines a minimum amount of time between sending inmates to the death chamber. The state’s next execution, scheduled for Sept. 20, is still on for Freddie Eugene Owens, convicted of killing a convenience store clerk. It would be South Carolina’s first execution in over 13 years after the court cleared the way to reopen the death chamber last month. But before it issues another execution date, the court will hear a request from four other death row inmates to wait three months between executions. Currently, it can set executions as close together as a week apart. The state is offering four weeks.