Southern Utah Man Put To Death Thursday Morning… Is It Right or Wrong?

WHAT HAPPENED 25 YEARS AGO?

On July 9, 1998, Taberon Honie was drunk and fighting over the phone with his girlfriend, Carol Pikyavit. Carol was staying at her mother's home in Cedar City with the daughter she shared with Honie. According to court documents, Honie threatened to kill everyone in the house if Carol didn't make time to see him. Pikyavit didn't take the threat seriously and left home for work.  While she was at work, Honie traveled to the house where he claims he "planned to sleep" under the patio until Pikyavit arrived back after work. But as he arrived, he began fighting with Pikyavit's mother, Claudia Benn. Benn was babysitting her three granddaughters when Honie broke in through the sliding glass door. Honie claims he only wanted to scare Benn, but things escalated. After Honie broke in, Benn grabbed a butcher knife to protect herself when she was overpowered by Honie who held the knife to her throat. Honie claims they both tripped and Benn fell on the knife with it at her throat. Benn was found face down with multiple stab and cutting wounds to her neck and genitals. When police arrived, they found Honie covered in blood and he told police that he "stabbed and killed her with a knife."

All three grandchildren were found at the scene with different degrees of blood on their body and clothes. There was also evidence that one of the granddaughters was sexually abused as well.

SENTENCED TO DEATH:

Taberon Honie was sentenced to death by lethal injection 25 years ago, and in the early morning hours of Thursday, August 8th, the death will be carried out. Honie and his attorneys have been fighting for years to overturn his death penalty, to no avail. Wednesday night, surrounded by family, Taberon Honie had his final meal of a Cheeseburger, Fries, and a Milk Shake. However, Honie stated that he wanted this meal to be remembered as one he shared with family. Honie will be executed with never-before-used three-drug combination of ketamine, fentanyl and potassium chloride. This drug is said to have cost the state nearly $300,000!

FIRST EXECUTION IN 16 YEARS:

This will be Utah's first execution since 2010, but the first lethal injection execution since 1999. This marks the first execution at the new Utah State Prison, which opened in 2022.

IS IT RIGHT?

Is the death penalty the right thing to do? People have been protesting tonight in the Free Speech Zone. There have been people FOR and AGAINST the death penalty. Should the Death Penalty be off the table? Or is 'an eye for an eye' the correct answer when something like this happens?

CLAUDIA BENN:

Claudia Benn was a Mother and a Grandmother. She was a graduate of Southern Utah State College, where she earned her Associates Degree. She was also a Substance Abuse Counselor at the time of her death. She was also the vice chairman of the Shivwits Band of Paiutes.

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