Irene Grainger Graves was 41 when she was murdered in a robbery on Halloween night in 1997. Today, her son Arte remembers her as a loving and fun mother who worked three jobs to provide for her children.
Like any good mother, Irene Grainger Graves wanted to give her three children a good life. So much so that she worked three jobs to not only put food on the table, but also to be able to afford something now and then so that the children could have fun and make good memories.
Graves was working at a supermarket on a fateful Halloween night in 1997 when two armed men walked in and demanded access to the safe. When the 41-year-old said she did not know the combination, she was shot in the head.
Her three children were left without their mother, desperate.
Freddie Eugene Owens was sentenced to death for her murder and is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection in South Carolina on Friday. It is the first execution in the state in 13 years and the 14th this year in the U.S. Owens has always maintained his innocence and on Wednesday the man who gave the main testimony against him said he lied at the time and that Owens was never at the crime scene.
USA TODAY recently spoke with Graves’ eldest son, Arte Graves, ahead of Owens’ execution to talk about who his mother was and how much her children lost that terrible night.
“I miss her every day,” he said.
The night that changed everything
Owens and his co-defendant Steven Golden were convicted in Graves’ death, which occurred during a robbery at the convenience store where she worked in Greenville, South Carolina, according to court documents.
The shooting was captured on surveillance cameras, but the footage was not very clear and authorities were unable to determine who fired the gun. Owens claimed he was at home in bed at the time of the robbery.
Golden signed an affidavit Wednesday stating that Owens did not shoot Graves and was not even present during the robbery, the Greenville News, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported.
Golden said investigators told him at the time to say Owens was with him during the robbery. Fearing the death penalty, Golden agreed, saying in a statement to police that he “used Freddie as the person who was really with me at the Speedway that night.”
“I did it because I knew the police wanted me to, and also because I thought the real shooter or his accomplices would kill me if I told the police,” Golden said. “I’m still afraid of that. But Freddie actually wasn’t there.”
Golden made a plea deal with prosecutors to testify against Owens and avoid the death penalty. His murder charge was reduced to manslaughter and he was sentenced to 28 years in prison.
Owens himself said his conviction led him to kill his cellmate while awaiting sentencing. He told officers, “I really did it because I was wrongly convicted of murder.”
Irene Graves was “a hard-working mother”
Arte Graves, who was 18 when his mother was killed and is now 45, said he remembers how hardworking but also funny she was.
She worked at Speedway Supermarket, Kmart, and a supermarket called Bi-Lo.
“She always reminded us to look out for each other and always reminded us that we are family and we have to look out for each other,” he said. “She was not a pushover, she was a good woman, a funny woman… We always had fun. I liked wrestling growing up, so she took me to the wrestling shows when they were at the old auditorium.”
He said his mother was also strong, determined, loving and caring.
Arte Graves said he had just moved to Delaware for college when his mother was murdered, and he immediately returned to South Carolina to be with his younger siblings, who were just 10 and 11 years old. He still lives in the state and owns a small transportation business.
He said he has accepted his mother’s death over the years, but has some advice to offer that he himself learned after losing his mother.
“If your parents are still alive, you should cherish the time you spend with them,” he said. “Try to create as many memories with them as you can while you are lucky enough to have them in your life.”
Arte Graves will be present at the execution: “I have to see him go”
Almost 30 years have passed since Irene Graves was murdered.
Owens’ execution is scheduled for Friday after years of appeals and attempts to reduce his sentence. The execution apparently went ahead despite Golden’s new testimony. The South Carolina Supreme Court said Thursday that the testimony did not override confessions he allegedly made to a girlfriend, his mother and two police officers.
USA TODAY attempted to speak with Owens’ lawyers about the development.
Arte Graves said he will be among those witnessing Owens’ execution, should it take place. He isn’t sure if anyone else from his family will be there, but he will be there, he said, to get some closure and move on.
“Honestly, I just need to see him go,” he said. “I need to see him go.”
USA TODAY interviewed Arte Graves before Golden released a statement claiming Owens’ innocence. USA TODAY is working to obtain Graves’ comment on the development.
Contributors: Terry Benjamin II
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
