Nearly four decades after the crimes, the sister of one of his victims stood outside the prison and said the process was finally over.
The Crimes
In 1984, then 23-year-old Duane Owen committed two murders in Palm Beach County, Florida. On March 24, he raped and fatally stabbed 14-year-old Karen Slattery while she was babysitting at a home in Delray Beach, with the children in her care asleep nearby. Two months later, in May, he raped and killed 38-year-old Georgianna Worden in her Boca Raton home, attacking her with a hammer while she slept; one of Worden's children discovered her body the following morning. Owen was also connected to two additional assaults on women in the area around the same time; both survived.
Sentencing
Owen was convicted and sentenced to death for both murders, along with six additional life sentences for his other crimes.
Decades on Death Row
Owen remained on Florida's death row for nearly 40 years. His attorneys argued against his execution on the grounds of mental illness, a claim that was ultimately not successful in halting the sentence.
Execution
Duane Owen was executed by lethal injection on June 15, 2023, at Florida State Prison, declining to make a final statement. His execution was part of a series carried out under death warrants signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Karen Slattery's sister, who was 10 years old when her sister was murdered, told reporters afterward that the decades-long process had finally reached its end.
FAQ
When was Duane Owen executed?
June 15, 2023, at Florida State Prison.
What crimes was he executed for?
The 1984 murders of 14-year-old Karen Slattery and 38-year-old Georgianna Worden.
Did his mental illness claims delay the execution?
His attorneys argued he should not be executed due to mental illness, but this did not ultimately halt the sentence.