Utah Man’s Final Message Before Lethal Injection
A Utah man, Taberon Dave Honie, was executed by lethal injection after being convicted of slashing the throat of his girlfriend’s mother, Claudia Benn, in July 1998. Honie, who was 22 years old at the time of the murder, broke into Benn’s home after a day of heavy drinking and drug use. The judge found that Honie had also sexually abused one of Benn’s grandchildren during the incident.
Now 48 years old, Honie was executed at the state prison while his family members watched from the witness chamber. Before the lethal injection was administered, he mouthed the words “I love you” to his family, expressing his final message of love and remorse.
Throughout the execution process, Honie remained calm and even thanked the correctional officers for taking care of his family. The lethal injection went as planned and took about 17 minutes to complete. Honie’s last meal was a cheeseburger, french fries, and a milkshake, according to the Utah Department of Corrections.
Despite Tressa, Honie’s daughter, pleading to the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole to spare her father’s life, several members of Benn’s family believed that Honie deserved no mercy for his heinous crime. The brutal murder had created a divide between the two families, with tensions running high.
Honie, who grew up on the Hopi Indian Reservation in Arizona, spent his final moments with his daughter and immediate family before the execution. He had accepted his fate and hoped that his daughter could find peace with the situation as well.
The execution of Taberon Dave Honie serves as a somber reminder of the consequences of violent actions and the impact they have on families and communities. It is a tragic event that highlights the complexities of justice and forgiveness in the face of such senseless violence.
