SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Prosecutors in Utah have filed a request seeking the execution of Taberone Dave Honie, a man who was sentenced to death in 1999 for the brutal murder of his ex-girlfriend’s mother. Honie was convicted of aggravated murder on May 18, 1999, after he killed Claudia Benn in a horrific manner on July 9, 1998.
Court documents reveal that Honie forcefully entered Benn’s residence in Cedar City, assaulting her with a large butcher knife and ultimately slitting her throat, causing her to bleed to death. The gruesome act took place in front of Benn’s three young grandchildren, adding to the heinous nature of the crime.
Despite numerous appeals, including those to the Utah Supreme Court in 2002 and 2014, as well as a federal petition for habeas corpus being denied in 2019, Honie’s sentencing has been consistently affirmed. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals also upheld his conviction on Jan. 26, 2023, further solidifying his death penalty.
The state’s execution application highlights that Honie has exhausted all legal avenues to challenge his conviction and sentence, leaving no justification for delaying the issuance of an execution warrant. Prosecutors are now urging the court to lift a longstanding order from 1999 that has postponed Honie’s execution pending appeal, clearing the way for a new execution warrant to be issued.
In a move to progress towards implementing the death penalty, the state submitted a proposed execution warrant along with the application on Tuesday. With Honie’s legal options virtually exhausted, the request for execution signals a possible end to a lengthy legal battle that has spanned over two decades.
The gravity of Honie’s crime, coupled with the extensive legal proceedings, has brought the case to a pivotal moment, where the state’s pursuit of justice for the victim and her family hangs in the balance. As the legal system moves forward with the execution process, the community awaits further developments in this high-profile case.