August 8th 2024.
On July 22, Taberon Honie, a death row inmate, left the Utah Board of Pardons after his commutation hearing. The 48-year-old had been sentenced to death for the murder of his girlfriend's mother, Claudia Benn. As the day of his execution approached, Honie made a simple request for his last meal - a cheeseburger, fries, and a milkshake. He enjoyed this classic American meal with his family members at the prison campus, before being moved to an observation room at 6am on the day of his execution.
After a couple of hours of sleep, Honie was served a breakfast sandwich. As the clock ticked closer to midnight, the time of his execution, Honie was injected with two doses of pentobarbital. With his family members watching, he mouthed "I love you" and tapped his foot before the drugs took effect. His body jolted on the execution table, turning a pale blue as he took his last breath at 12:25am on Thursday.
Honie had been convicted for the murder of Claudia Benn, who was a substance abuse counselor. On July 9, 1998, Honie had been drunk and fighting with his girlfriend, Carol Pikyavit. In a fit of rage, he threatened to kill everyone in the home and take their daughter away if Pikyavit did not make time to see him. But Pikyavit did not take his words seriously and went to work. When Honie arrived at her mother's house, he got into an argument with Benn, who was babysitting her granddaughters at the time.
According to court records, Honie claimed that Benn began calling him names, and in a struggle, he grabbed a butcher knife from her and moved towards her throat. He said they tripped and she fell on the blade, causing her death. However, when the police arrived, they found Honie covered in blood and he confessed to stabbing and killing Benn with a knife. She had been stabbed and cut on her genitals and neck.
During his commutation hearing in July, Honie had admitted to his crime and called himself a monster. He said that the only thing that had kept him going all these years was the knowledge that this would never have happened if he were in his right mind. He made no excuses for his actions. However, despite his request for reprieve, the board denied it, and Honie became the first inmate to be executed in Utah since 2010 and the 12th in the US this year.
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