Freddie Eugene Owens was born on March 18, 1978, in South Carolina. His mother was only 18 years old when he was born. When he was five years old, he was placed in foster care. This was due to reports of abuse and neglect within his family. Eventually, he was returned to his biological mother. She had separated from his birth father, who was allegedly abusive.

After returning home, Owens's mother married another man. However, reports indicated that this stepfather was also abusive towards both Owens and his mother. When he was just seven, Owens witnessed a violent event where his grandmother shot someone. These early experiences caused serious issues in Freddie's life. Because of his troubled upbringing, he was diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder at a young age.

On November 1, 1997, Freddie Eugene Owens and his friend Steven Andra Golden entered a convenience store in Greenville, South Carolina, with a gun. They demanded money and held the female clerk, Irene Grainger Graves, at gunpoint. Golden testified that Owens shot Graves in the head when she could not open the safe. They stole $37.29 from the cash register and fled the scene. Authorities arrested Owens on November 11, 1997, and he was charged with murder and robbery alongside Golden, who later pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter.

Owens went to trial in February 1999. Despite denying he killed Graves, evidence pointed to him as the shooter. A jury found him guilty of murder and armed robbery. He received the death penalty two days later.

While awaiting his execution, Owens killed fellow inmate Christopher Bryan Lee in prison on February 16, 1999, less than a day after being convicted. Owens admitted to attacking Lee after Lee taunted him about his conviction. He confessed to strangling Lee and using a ballpoint pen as a weapon, leading to Lee's death.

Owens appealed his death sentence, which was overturned due to procedural errors, allowing for re-sentencing. In 2003, he was again sentenced to death. He continued to face appeals, but the courts upheld his sentence multiple times over the years.

By 2024, he remained on death row and converted to Islam, adopting a new name. His execution was set for September 20, 2024, making him the first person executed in South Carolina since 2011. Despite claims of innocence and new affidavits from accomplices questioning his guilt, the South Carolina Supreme Court denied the appeals.

On the night of his execution, Owens declined to make a final statement. He was executed by lethal injection, becoming a pivotal case in the state's discussions on capital punishment and the legal system's challenges related to death penalty cases.