Man Who Killed Woman Speaks 3 Words to Family Before Execution

(ProsperNews.net) – A man convicted of murdering a woman over twenty years ago finally faced the death penalty by lethal injection in Utah.

On Thursday, Aug. 8, 48-year-old Taberon Dave Honie mouthed his final three words to his family, which were “I love you,” before he was killed for a brutal crime over two decades prior. Honie’s family viewed his final moment from a witness chamber as he was strapped to a table and administered a lethal injection of pentobarbital in two doses.

In a final statement before the injections, Honie said that his position “from the start” was that if the victim’s family needed it to be done in order “for them to heal,” then “let’s do this.” He added that people should not listen to those who say others “can’t change.”

Honie then addressed his family and friends and told them to “continue to change” before saying he loved them. His final spoken words were, “Take care,” but after the two doses of pentobarbital were administered, he tapped his foot several times to attract the attention of his family and mouthed then mouthed the words “I love you.”

As the drug flowed into Honie’s arms from IVs, he let out a gasp and convulsed briefly on the table before laying still for a few minutes and then dying. His skin turned pale quickly and his glasses slid from his eyes onto his forehead. He also reportedly turned to acknowledge the correctional officers who took care of him and to thank them for promising to look after his family, according to the prison warden, Bart Mortensen.

When Honie was 22, he murdered his girlfriend’s mother, Claudia Benn, the maternal grandmother of his still-living daughter, Tressa, who is now 27. After a day of drinking and hard drug use, Honie allegedly broke into Benn’s residence in Cedar City in July 1998 and stabbed her as well as slashed her throat several times.

The incident broke apart the two sides of the family, with many of Benn’s relatives believing Honie didn’t deserve any mercy while his daughter fought and pleaded with the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole to try and spare his life.