Utah death row inmate Taberon Honie picks cheeseburger, fries for last meal

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Death row inmate Taberon Honie has been served his last meal before the state of Utah administers his sentence for the brutal murder of Claudia Benn.

Honie was scheduled to die by lethal injection just after midnight on Thursday. August 8.

Officials from the Utah Department of Corrections gave their first update on the process of the execution at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

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Spokesperson Glen Mills said Honie was given his last meal at 4:30 p.m. – a cheeseburger, fried and a milk shake. He ate that meal at the prison campus with his family.

He began the day at 6:09 a.m. when he was moved to an observation room at the Utah State Prison in Salt Lake City.

Officials said he slept there until 8:15 a.m., at which time he was given a breakfast sandwich.

At 10:02 a.m., Honie visited with his mother and father. Family members visited him in groups of two, switching out through the day.

Honie met with the warden during the day, and he was given three mental health checks.

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Mills said Honie picked five witnesses to his execution – four family members and an attorney. The names of those people weren’t expected to be released until UDC’s final media briefing at approximately 2 a.m.

Other witnesses included several members of the media, selected weeks ago – including KUTV anchor/reporter Jim Spiewak.

A member of the Utah Attorney General’s office was also expected to be present in the command center.

Mills said a phone was placed outside the room that Honie’s attorney can access in case any last-minute information comes down from the courts.