Utah officials deny clemency for man set to be executed for 1998 killing of his girlfriend’s mother
By The Associated Press on July 26, 2024.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Utah officials denied clemency Friday to a man who is set to be executed for the stabbing death of his girlfriend’s mother in 1998. Taberon Dave Honie is scheduled to die by lethal injection Aug. 8. During a two-day commutation hearing, Honie asked the state parole board to commute his sentence to life in prison, saying he would never have killed 49-year-old Claudia Benn after a day of heavy drinking and drug use had he been in his “right mind.” Honie said he wanted to continue to live to be a support for his mother and his daughter. Benn’s family urged the parole board to allow him to be executed, saying they have been devastated by their loss. They described Benn as a pillar in their family and southwestern Utah community – a tribal council member, substance abuse counselor and caregiver for her children and grandchildren. Honie, who had a volatile relationship with Benn’s daughter, broke into the victim’s house in Cedar City, the tribal headquarters of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, on July 9, 1998. He repeatedly slashed her throat and then stabbed her. Benn’s grandchildren, including Honie’s 2-year-old daughter, were in the house at the time. Honie was convicted in 1999 of aggravated murder. The judge who sentenced him to death found that Honie had sexually abused one of the children, one of the aggravating factors used to reach that decision. 10-9
