Utah executes convicted killer Taberon Honie

SALT LAKE CITY (KSL.com) — The state of Utah executed Taberon Dave Honie by lethal injection just after midnight Thursday, 25 years after he was convicted of brutally killing his ex-girlfriend’s mother in front of her three granddaughters.

Corrections officials announced at 12:30 a.m. that the execution had successfully occurred.

At 12:03 a.m., Honie gave his final statement. “From the start it’s been — if it needs to be done for them to heal, let’s do this. If they tell you you can’t change, don’t listen to them. To all my brothers and sisters here, continue to change. I love you all. Take care.”

Seven media witnesses representing local news organizations, including KSL.com, were present in the viewing chamber, and they held a 2 a.m. press conference to discuss the execution. By that time, about a couple dozen protesters had gone home. Every light in the prison parking lot attracted thick swarms of mosquitoes like chaotic snow falling in all directions.

The small insects coated the sidewalks and windows, stirring in circles on the ground.

About two dozen solemn protesters earlier held signs and some knelt in prayer about a mile away from the prison in a free speech area that the corrections department designated.

Ben Winslow from Fox 13 said when the curtain was drawn, the group saw Honie looking up, lifting his head. His arms were strapped to the table and IVs ran from both of his arms out of the room where unseen medical staff administered the drug.

“A white sheet was pulled up slightly above his stomach, below his chest,” explained Sarah Murphy from ABC 4. “You could see the rise and fall with every breath.”

‘Continue to change,’ Honie urges fellow inmates before being executed

The warden read the death warrant, Winslow said, while Honie’s foot appeared to be twitching. “We couldn’t tell if it was out of nervousness or whether it was just a reaction that was happening.” The lethal injection began at 12:04, according to Utah Department of Corrections spokesman Glen Mills.

“He did continue to look around. He closed his eyes. His foot continued to tap and then stop,” Winslow said. The reporters noticed Honie appeared to be mouthing something to Warden Bart Mortenson and director of prison operations Randall Honey.

Honey said the condemned man “simply stated, ‘Thank you for taking care of my family.’ And then he raised up his head and looked over to where his family was viewing and just said, ‘I love you.'”

Reporters reported seeing Honie take a “deep exhaling breath and opened his mouth wide,” his rapid breathing slowed very quickly and his skin “turned pale, turned blue.”

KSL.com reporter Pat Reavy said the atmosphere among reporters was somber and quiet. “You’re watching a person die. It’s not lost on you,” he said, but added that reporters were in “work mode” and there to observe and accurately report how the state conducted the execution.

At 12:13 a.m., a second lethal dose was administered, though witnesses were not aware that had occurred until the press conference. Eight minutes later, the electrocardiogram flatlined, showing no heartbeat.

Mills said a sheet was placed over the Honie’s head at that point, and he was pronounced dead at 12:25 a.m.

Honie, 48, spent much of Wednesday meeting with family members for the final time and told them to “keep your heads up.”

According to staff members who witnessed Honie’s final goodbyes, there were “lots of emotions and tears,” but he still managed to crack a few jokes, said Mills. He spent much of his last hours alone listening to music on a tablet provided to him.

Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes issued a prepared statement after the execution.

“The state of Utah approached the exercise of its power and attendant responsibilities with the seriousness and solemnity that such an act merits. We hope opponents of the death penalty allow grace for those who carried out their duties as required by the law and did so with respect, professionalism, and in some cases in spite of their own personal views. We also hope that this act is a deterrent to other heinous crimes and pray it provides some measure of comfort to those who have been awaiting justice for decades,” he said.

Last day

From about 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. Wednesday, Honie met with family members who rotated two at a time for security purposes in seeing him, starting with his mother and father. He has also met with his daughter, three sisters, two cousins, a brother-in-law, and an aunt, Mills said. Honie and his visitors are separated by a window. Mills says for most of the day, Honie has been talking while sitting on the floor of his room, but by 8:22 p.m. he moved to his bed to sit on it. Family visits ended at 9 p.m.

Other visits had been with the warden at the prison, as well as four checkups by mental health workers. His mood had been described by corrections employees as “gracious and appreciative” throughout the day.

After visiting with his family, Honie listened to music on a tablet until his attorneys arrived, Mills said. Mills said according to staff members, the conversation was “jovial.” After his attorneys left, Honie has “just been on his bed with his tablet, listening to music,” Mills said at 10:30 p.m. He was offered a Valium but declined. Honie was alone in the observation cell from about 10 p.m. until 11:30 p.m. when corrections staff members began prepping him for movement into the execution chamber.

Honie was moved from his regular prison cell to an observation cell adjacent to the execution chamber sometime about 6:10 a.m. Wednesday. Honie spoke on the phone with a spiritual adviser from the Hopi Reservation and mostly said prayers, Mills said.

The final meal that he requested — a cheeseburger, fries and a milkshake — was delivered about 4:30 p.m. However, Mills said Honie wanted administrators to convey to the public that he considered his final meal was one he had recently with his family at the prison.

Utah Department of Corrections Executive Director Brian Redd thanked members of the media for being present Wednesday and said he wants his department to be “known as a transparent and accountable organization.” He discussed the challenges of setting up a free speech zone during the execution that balances prison security and the rights of people to express their opinions. One of the challenges, he said, is that most of the land surrounding the prison is private property and there are few roads leading in and out to the prison.

Honie, who has been on death row since 1999, was convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend’s mother, 49-year-old Claudia Marie Benn, in front of her three granddaughters on July 9, 1998, in Cedar City.

It was the first execution at the new Utah State Correctional Facility, which officially opened in July 2022, and the first in the state in 14 years.

The prison was placed on lockdown in preparation for the execution Wednesday and remained locked down until 6 a.m. Thursday. Roadblocks were set up on all roads leading into the facility, located west of the Salt Lake City International Airport.

“We really want to put an emphasis on making sure we do this effectively, humanely and professionally,” Mills said Wednesday evening.

Mills admits there had been a different feeling among officers and staff members at the prison this week knowing the execution was approaching.

“It’s not something that anyone who’s involved with this looks forward to or takes joy in, in any means. However, we all see that as a responsibility of ours in the department, and we take it seriously, and we intend to carry it out in a caring and professional manner,” he said.

The execution chamber is 24 feet by 38 feet. There were separate witness rooms, both with reflective glass to protect the identity of witnesses. The windows are also bulletproof “to protect the witnesses from unintended ricochet, if firing squad is used,” according to the department.

According to the plan, after Honie was strapped to a gurney in the room, two people were to enter and insert an IV. Those two were set to leave the room and two other people would do the injection. Those people were to be in a separate room and would not be seen by any witnesses or Honie in order to protect their identities.

Utah set for first execution in 14 years; how did we get here?

Taberon Dave Honie, convicted of aggravated murder for the 1998 death of his ex-girlfriend’s mother, appealed his case over 26 years.
The two people chosen are “trained in accordance with accepted medical practices to administer intravenous injections, who shall each administer a continuous intravenous injection, one of which shall be of a lethal quantity of sodium thiopental or other equally or more effective substance sufficient to cause death. Based on the recommendation of medical professionals, the drug being used will be pentobarbital,” according to the Utah Department of Corrections.

Before the lethal injection begins, Honie was to be given the opportunity as he is strapped to the gurney to speak any last words. After the injection, a physician will be brought into the chamber to confirm his death.

While not revealing their identities, corrections officials say those participating in the lethal injection are not members of the Department of Health and Human Services or the Division of Correctional Health Services.

After he is pronounced deceased, Mills says the prison is allowing Honie’s request for his family to be brought into the room and perform a brief spiritual ceremony before his body is removed. Likewise, he said the corrections administrators allowed him to have a pipe ceremony on Monday with a relative.

Utah’s execution history: Honie would be state’s 8th execution since 1977

Utah executed six people from 1977 to 2000 after the death penalty was reinstated. Only one person has been put to death since then. Taberon Honie is set to be executed Thursday.

Honie was allowed to choose up to five people who are either a religious representative, a friend or a relative to witness his execution. Mills says Honie has picked four family members and his attorney. The identities of the family members are expected to be revealed after the execution. Seven of Benn’s relatives will also be witnessing the execution. Their identities will not be revealed until after it is concluded. Seven members of the media, all from Utah, were selected to be witnesses, including KSL.com.

Other witnesses will include law enforcers from Iron County, a prosecuting attorney from Iron County, a representative from the Utah Attorney General’s Office and up to three corrections officials.

Honie’s body will be turned over to the Utah State Medical Examiner’s Office. Once their assessment is completed, Honie’s remains will be dealt with based on his wishes, but those wishes were not disclosed.