Taberon Dave Honie (born October 29, 1975)[1] is an American murderer and rapist who was sentenced to death by the U.S. state of Utah, for murdering and raping his ex-girlfriend's mother in 1998.[2][3][4]
Taberon Honie | |
|---|---|
| Born | Taberon Dave Honie October 29, 1975 |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated on death row |
| Children | 1 |
| Conviction(s) | Aggravated murder Burglary Object rape Forcible sodomy |
| Criminal penalty | Death (May 20, 1999) |
| Details | |
| Victims | Claudia Marie Benn, 49 |
| Date | July 9–10, 1998 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Utah |
| Weapons | Kitchen knife |
| Imprisoned at | Utah State Correctional Facility |
Background
editTaberon Honie is a Native American from the Hopi tribe.[4] Honie had previously been in a relationship since 1995, with a woman named Carol Pikyavit, who he also had a daughter with. Honie and Pikyavit ended their relationship in 1998.[2][4]
Murder
editOn the evening of July 9, 1998, Taberon Honie called Carol Pikyavit, demanding that she immediately visit him and threatened to kill several of her family members, if she did not comply.[2] Hours later, Honie broke into the house of Pikyavit's mother, Claudia Marie Benn, in Cedar City, Utah. Honie then began to attack Benn with a kitchen knife, slashing her throat four times from ear to ear, with the slashes being deep enough to reach her backbone.[2][4] In the early hours of the next day, police officers came to Benn's house, responding to a 911 call from one of her neighbors. The responding officers found a smashed window and Benn's corpse partially naked, with her being mutilated and having deep stab wounds to her anus and vagina.[2][3] They also located Honie in Benn's garage, arresting him after he was found with blood residue on his fingertips. During Honie's arrest, he stated at one point; "I stabbed her. I killed her with a knife."[5][2] The responding officers then located Benn's three infant and toddler-aged granddaughters in the same house, with them being covered in blood.[2] One of Benn's granddaughters was also sexually abused by Honie, right after Benn's murder, causing genital injuries to her granddaughter.[3]
Legal proceedings
editAfter his arrest, Taberon Honie was charged with aggravated murder. Honie waived his right to a jury sentencing during his trial and instead opted for a bench trial.[2] On May 20, 1999, Honie was sentenced to death by lethal injection, after an Iron County court convicted him of aggravated murder, burglary, object rape, and forcible sodomy.[2][3][4][5] On January 11, 2002, Honie lost his first round of appeals, after his attorney made failed attempts to challenge the constitutionality of the death penalty in Utah and made claims of racially motivated prosecutors.[6][7] In 2013, Honie filed another appeal, claiming that his attorneys did an inadequate job at defending him and reviewing his background. Honie then claimed that he suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome, due to his parents being alcoholics, also claiming that he suffered from brain damage, due to a 30-foot-fall that he endured as a teenager.[8][5][7] In 2014, Honie's appeal was denied by the Utah Supreme Court.[7]
On May 1, 2024, a request for Honie's execution warrant was filed by the Utah Attorney General.[9] On May 24, 2024, a lawsuit challenging Utah's execution methods of lethal injection and the firing squad was denied by a judge, allowing for Honie's execution warrant to be signed.[10] On June 10, 2024, Honie was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on August 8, 2024.[11] A new lethal injection cocktail of fentanyl, ketamine, and the previously used potassium chloride is set to be used in Honie's execution, raising concerns about the newly introduced procedure.[12][11] On June 18, 2024, Honie filed a petition for clemency, mentioning that he was impoverished and neglected during his childhood, having drank his first beer at age 5, and having suffered multiple head injuries throughout his childhood.[13]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Offender Search - Utah Department of Corrections". Utah Department of Corrections. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "HONIE v. POWELL (2023)". FindLaw. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Utah State Prison Death Sentence Inmates" (PDF). Utah Department of Corrections. March 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Killer sentenced to die; judge says 'he earned it'". Deseret News. May 22, 1999. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ a b c "A.G.'S OFFICE FIGHTS ANOTHER APPEAL IN 14 YEAR OLD CAPITOL MURDER". Utah AG Office Press Room. September 4, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ "Killer's death sentence upheld". Deseret News. January 12, 2002. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ a b c "These are the 7 men sitting on Utah's death row". Deseret News. October 4, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ "Death-row inmate appeals conviction to Utah Supreme Court". Deseret News. September 5, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ "Utah files death warrant for execution of convicted murder Taberon Honie". 2KUTV. May 1, 2024. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ Hill, Victoria; Poe, Michelle (May 24, 2024). "Death row inmate Taberon Honie one step closer to execution after new lawsuit ruling". 2KUTV. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ a b Harkins, Paighten (June 10, 2024). "Utah set to execute first death row inmate since 2010 this summer". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ "Utah judge sets execution date in 1998 murder despite concerns over a new lethal injection cocktail". NBC News. NBC News. June 11, 2024. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ Miller, Jessica (June 18, 2024). "Here's why Utah death row inmate Taberon Honie says his life should be spared". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved June 19, 2024.