top of page

A Statement on the Execution of Marion Bowman

Writer's picture: SCADPSCADP

On January 31, 2025, the state of South Carolina executed Marion Bowman for murder of Kandee Martin. Marion’s execution is the first execution in South Carolina in 2025.


A Statement from Executive Director, Rev. Hillary Taylor:


"Once again, the State of South Carolina has made a grievous mistake and executed someone with a wrongful conviction claim. Even though Marion Bowman maintained his innocence of Kandee Martin’s murder consistently for over 20 years, our legal system denied him the ability to tell his story in full throughout the process. Marion Bowman’s case now joins the infamy of George Stinney, Jr. 's case: another young Black person, with discriminatory and ineffective legal representation, convicted of killing a white woman with no forensic evidence because the prosecution prioritized political victory instead of criminal accountability.


As we learned yesterday, Marion Bowman made the decision to not to submit a clemency application, saying he could not in good conscience ask for a supposed mercy that would require him to spend the rest of his life in prison for a crime he did not commit. Marion’s decision is a powerful refusal to legitimize an unjust process that has already stolen so much of his life. We grieve for everyone connected to Marion tonight: his close family and friends, his extended community, and the corrections officers and prison volunteers who loved working alongside him. They have now been made victims by the state.


Tonight, along with many people across the state, we also lift up Kandee’s memory and her entire family. They did not deserve to lose her to such gruesome violence. We also hold in our hearts the Branchville and Dorchester communities as they relive the trauma of Kandee’s murder once again. This is not healing: it is quite the opposite. 


Tonight’s execution is bigger than the state of South Carolina: it is the first execution in the United States in 2025. It is also the second time in less than 5 months our state has executed someone with a legitimate wrongful conviction claim. Under the leadership of Governor Henry McMaster, South Carolina is on its way to becoming first in the nation, but for all the wrong reasons. Instead of quality education, well-paying employment opportunities, superb public health, or effective community safety, we are becoming first in the nation when it comes to executions.


Governor McMaster can no longer use the letter of the law as an excuse to allow executions. In the last two months, we have seen 52 total federal and state death row commutations (twice as many commutations as executions in 2024). We have also seen 1,500 pardons from President Donald Trump. This makes SC out of step with the rest of the country because there have been no commutations despite 45 executions since 1985. After executions restarted 40 years ago this month in South Carolina, we are still dealing with the problem of murder. 


Beyond today, SCADP will continue to advocate for the abolition of the death penalty; for real and effective solutions to the problem of violence; for effective means of actual public safety. And we will work with anyone who wants to help us. Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians. Lawyers and police officers. Government workers and small business owners. Secular humanists and people of faith. Teachers and corrections officers. Victim family members and death row family members. Our movement is here to stay. We are not going anywhere. And we will triumph through the power of connection. To use Marion Bowman’s poetry, “We’re still breathing, so this we know, while we breathe, we hope.”






41 views0 comments

Comments


bottom of page