Admitting to the appalling act he committed 25 years ago, when he killed his ex-partner's mother, Honie has begged for clemency. He insists that he has always owned up to his actions and is remorseful for the life he ended.
The future of Taberon Dave Honie, who faces death by lethal injection, was disclosed in a terse statement from Scott Stephenson, the chair of Utah's Board of Pardons and Parole.
"After carefully reviewing all submitted information and considering all arguments from the parties, the Board does not find sufficient cause to commute Mr. Honie's death sentence," said Stephenson. At a commutation hearing held over two days in July, Honie had implored the parole board to reduce his death penalty to life behind bars, claiming he wouldn't have murdered 49-year-old Claudia Benn during an alcohol and drug-fuelled spiral if he'd been in his "right mind."
In a poignant confession to the panel, he declared: "Yes, I'm a monster...The only thing that kept me going all these years, the only thing I know 100%, this would never happen if I was in my right mind ... I make no excuses."
Honie expressed to the board his desire to live, to offer support to both his mother and his daughter. Following the decision, his legal team voiced their sorrow and disillusionment, stating that Honie has changed greatly and his conduct in jail is proof that he can maintain a peaceful existence.
Lawyer Therese Day stated about her client Mr. Honie's regret for his actions: "What has remained the same is Mr. Honie's sincere remorse and acceptance of responsibility for the crimes he committed," adding, "Even those who commit terrible crimes are worthy of mercy and grace if they are truly remorseful for their acts."
The family of Benn, deeply affected by their loss, have appealed to the parole board to proceed with the execution, highlighting the immense grief they've endured. They spoke of Benn as a central figure in their kin and the broader community of southwestern Utah - a tribe member, a drug addiction counselor, and a caretaker to her offspring and grandkids.
Honie, engaged in an unstable relationship with Benn's daughter, unlawfully entered Benn's residence in Cedar City, the tribal base for the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, on 9 July 1998. He violently cut her throat multiple times and then stabbed her.
Tragically, Benn's grandchildren were present during this brutal act, including Honie's two-year-old girl.
In 1999, Honie was found guilty of aggravated murder. The presiding judge of the trial pronounced the death penalty upon finding that Honie had molested one of the young witnesses, which served as one of the critical elements leading to the sentencing.
Sarah China Azule, niece of Benn, was overwhelmed with emotion upon hearing the parole board's verdict during her drive from Utah to Arizona for her niece's funeral. Speaking to The Associated Press, she expressed a mixture of relief and sorrow: "We've been waiting for this day for 26 years," Azule said.
"I now know that if you fight for your family, justice will be served. And I'm so happy that we got this decision and the board chose us, not the rest of his life to be lived in prison. He deserves an eye for an eye."
Nevertheless, Azule also revealed feeling sympathy for Honie's daughter, who championed the cause for commutation. Tressa Honie shared candidly about her complex relations with her mother with the parole board and her confrontation with loss once her father is executed.
"Twenty-six years ago I was robbed of a grandmother ... and he also robbed me of himself," Honie said to the board. "My father is there for me however he can be."
In addition, Randall Benn, who lost his aunt to the crime, told The Associated Press about his driving Tressa Honie to her job and offering as much support as possible while dealing with his profound grief. With the passing of all these years, he now looks ahead to personal recovery.
"I've been waiting for this day for a while now, because I deserve my aunt getting the justice that she needed," said Benn. "It's like a chapter ended, like my aunt is resting good now."
During the court proceedings, Honie's legal team presented evidence detailing his traumatic upbringing on the Hopi Indian Reservation in Arizona.
His parents, like many Native Americans, were sent to government-run boarding schools known for their abusive environments, and the defence argued that they didn't acquire parenting skills, were heavy drinkers and neglected Honie.
Honie started consuming alcohol and using drugs including cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine when he was just a teenager.
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