Taberon Honie, age 48, was put to death on August 8, 2024 for the 1998 murder of Claudia Benn, his daughter’s maternal grandmother. Honie’s crimes were reportedly aggravated by the presence of children in the house where he attacked and killed Benn by cutting her throat, as well as his being under the influence of alcohol and drugs at the time.
According to a report by the Associated Press (AP) posted in the St. George News on August 8, Honie’s execution was emotionally complex and hard to process - especially by his 27-year- old-daughter, who lost her maternal grandmother to the original crime, and who now loses her father to the sentence. In opposition, Benn’s family is on record pushing for the penalty, calling the execution deserved. Honie said in 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.” The AP reports Honie thanked the officers involved for taking care of his family. After the execution, Honie’s body was returned to his family for funerary services.
Honie’ s execution, performed by high dose of pentobarbital, is the first capital punishment in Utah since 2010 - with the previous execution performed by firing squad. Honie was one of five people on death row at the time of his execution. The execution was attended by members of his family as well as Benn’s and was protested by various anti-capital punishment groups outside of the facility.
