HOUSTON – A Utah man was executed yesterday for the 1998 murder and sexual assault of his ex-girlfriend’s mother, the second execution this week in the United States.

“The execution warrant for Taberon Dave Honie has been carried out,” the Utah Department of Corrections said.

The execution of Honie (48) is the western state of Utah’s first execution in 14 years.

On Wednesday, Texas executed a man for the 1997 murder of a woman, who was jogging in her Houston neighbourhood.

Arthur Lee Burton (54) was put to death by lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, and pronounced dead at 6:47 pm (2347 GMT), officials from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said.

Burton was convicted of the July 1997 murder of Nancy Adleman, a mother of three.

Adleman was strangled with
 her shoelaces.

Burton’s lawyers appealed to the Supreme Court to stay his execution, but the request was denied without comment.

His attorneys had argued that Burton should be constitutionally exempt from being put to death because he is intellectually
disabled.

“To all the people I have hurt and caused pain, I wish we didn’t have to be here at this moment, but I want you to know that I am sorry for putting y’all through this,” he said in his final statement.

Including Burton, Texas has carried out three executions since January, and there have been 12 in the United States this year so far.

The death penalty has been abolished in 23 US states, while six others, Arizona, California, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Tennessee have moratoriums in place. 

-Nampa/AFP