Utah conducts its first execution since 2010: Man killed girlfriend's mother

Salt Lake City — A Utah man who killed his girlfriend's mother by cutting her pharynx was put to decease by lethal injection early Thursday successful nan state's first execution since 2010.

Taberon Dave Honie, 48, was convicted of aggravated execution successful nan July 1998 decease of Claudia Benn.

Honie was 22 erstwhile he collapsed into Benn's location successful Cedar City aft a time of dense drinking and supplier usage and many times slashed her pharynx and stabbed her successful different parts of her body. Benn's grandchildren, including Honie's past 2-year-old daughter, were successful nan location astatine nan time.

The judge who sentenced him to decease recovered that Honie had sexually abused 1 of nan children, 1 of nan aggravating factors utilized to scope that decision.

Honie's past repast earlier his execution was a cheeseburger, gallic fries and a milkshake, Utah Department of Corrections said. Honie spent nan evening pinch his family earlier nan execution.

After decades of grounded appeals, Honie's execution warrant was signed successful June contempt defense objections to nan planned lethal supplier combination. In July, nan authorities changed its execution protocol to utilizing only a precocious dose of pentobarbital - nan tense strategy suppressant utilized to euthanize pets.

The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole denied Honie's petition to commute his condemnation to life successful situation aft a two-day proceeding successful July during which Honie's attorneys said he grew up connected nan Hopi Indian Reservation successful Arizona pinch parents who abused intoxicant and neglected him.

Death statement inmate Taberon Honie looks connected during a Utah Board of Pardons commutation proceeding connected July 22, 2024, astatine nan Utah State Correctional Facility, successful Salt Lake City. Rick Bowmer / AP

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, besides denied a last petition by Honie to hold nan execution.

Honie told nan parole committee he wouldn't person killed Benn if he had been successful his "right mind." He asked nan committee to let him "to exist" truthful he could beryllium a support for his daughter.

Tressa Honie told nan committee she has a analyzable narration pinch her mother and said she would suffer her astir supportive parental fig if her begetter were to beryllium executed.

However, different family members based on that Taberon Honie deserved nary mercy.

They described Benn arsenic a pillar successful their family and southwestern Utah organization - a Paiute tribal member, constituent maltreatment counsellor and caregiver for her children and grandchildren.

Sarah China Azule, Benn's niece, said she was happy pinch nan board's determination to move guardant pinch Honie's execution.

"He deserves an oculus for an eye," she said.

Honie was 1 of six group facing execution successful Utah.

The decease condemnation for a seventh person, Douglas Lovell, who killed a female to support her from testifying against him successful a rape case, was precocious overturned by nan Utah Supreme Court. He will beryllium resentenced.

A man described by his lawyers arsenic intellectually abnormal was executed a fewer hours earlier successful Texas for strangling and trying to rape a female who went jogging adjacent her Houston location much than 27 years ago. Arthur Lee Burton had been sentenced to decease for nan July 1997 sidesplitting of Nancy Adleman, a 48-year-old mother of 3 who constabulary recovered beaten and strangled pinch her ain shoelace successful a wooded area disconnected a jogging way on a bayou.