Marion Bowman Jr., 44, is scheduled to be executed at 6 p.m. Friday at a Columbia prison. Convicted of murder in 2002 for the killing of 21-year-old Kandee Martin, Bowman has consistently maintained his innocence.
Bowman’s execution would be South Carolina’s third in four months as it works through a backlog of death row inmates whose appeals were exhausted during a lengthy delay in lethal injections.
Newsweek has reached out to the South Carolina District Court for comment via email.
What’s The Context
The execution highlights the state’s resumption of capital punishment after a 13-year pause, driven by the inability to obtain lethal injection drugs. With the passage of a shield law, officials secured a compounding pharmacy willing to provide pentobarbital under conditions of anonymity. South Carolina was once among the most active states for executions, and the current schedule signals a return to frequent use of the death penalty.
What to Know
Bowman was convicted of Martin’s murder based on testimony from several friends and relatives who took plea deals or had charges dropped in exchange for their cooperation. Prosecutors argued Bowman killed Martin over a drug-related dispute. Bowman said he sold drugs to Martin, who was a friend of his for years and sometimes she would pay with sex, but he denied killing her.
Despite being offered a life sentence, Bowman chose to go to trial, maintaining his innocence.
Bowman Believes System Failed Him
Bowman is not seeking clemency from Gov. Henry McMaster. His attorney, Lindsey Vann, stated that he refuses to legitimize a system that he believes failed him. No South Carolina governor has granted clemency in a death-penalty case since the state reinstated capital punishment in 1976.
The execution comes as South Carolina resumes capital punishment after resolving drug acquisition challenges. The state Supreme Court allowed executions to restart in July, and the Department of Corrections has scheduled one every five weeks. Two inmates, Freddie Owens and Richard Moore, were executed in September and November.
Weight Concerns
Bowman’s attorneys raised concerns about his weight, noting his prison records list him at 389 pounds. An anesthesiologist warned that his obesity could complicate IV access and proper drug dosage. In the last execution, South Carolina used two doses of pentobarbital administered 11 minutes apart.
What People Are Saying
Lindsey Vann, Bowman’s attorney, stated: “After more than two decades of battling a broken system that has failed him at every turn, Marion’s decision is a powerful refusal to legitimize an unjust process that has already stolen so much of his life.”
What Happens Next
The South Carolina Supreme Court has cleared additional executions, with three more inmates set to be put to death in the coming months. The state’s death row population has dropped from 63 inmates in 2011 to 30 today, largely due to successful appeals and natural deaths.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
The post Death Row Inmate Marion Bowman, Who Refused Plea Deal, to Be Executed appeared first on Newsweek.
