Killer executed 26 years after horror rape and murder of his mother-in-law

A killer who spent 26 years on death row for the horrific rape and murder of his mother-in-law has been executed. WARNING: Distressing

Warning: Distressing

A man who violently raped and brutally murdered his mother-in-law has been executed after spending more than two decades sitting on death row.

In July 1998, Taberon Dave Honie called his ex-girlfriend and mother of his child, Carol Pikyavit, and threatened to kill her entire family if she did not meet with him right away.

The young mum, concerned for her and her daughter’s welfare, told him he could not come over and to leave them alone.

She left for work, leaving her child at home with her mother, Claudia Marie Benn, who she lived with at the time.

Little did she know it would be the last time she would ever see her mum alive.

Hours later, Honie went through with his chilling threat by breaking into Benn’s house in Cedar City, Utah, by shattering a sliding glass door.

Taberon Dave Honie brutally murdered his mother in law back in 1998. Picture: KUTV

The shocked grandmother attempted to defend herself with a kitchen knife but was overpowered by her former son-in-law, who violently slashed her throat four times from ear to ear.

Autopsy reports later revealed the cuts were so deep they reached her backbone. Disturbingly, Benn also had knife injuries to her genital area.

Three of the women’s granddaughters had been in the house at the time, including Honie’s own daughter.

Police later revealed that Honie had sexually abused one of Benn’s granddaughters immediately following her murder, causing genital injuries, according to Utah State Prison reports.

He was arrested and charged after the horror crime and waived his right to a jury sentencing during his trial, instead opting for a bench trial.

On May 20, 1999, he was sentenced to death by lethal injection after an Iron County Court convicted him of aggravated murder, burglary, object rape, and forcible sodomy.

“I’m a monster”

Honie tried and failed on multiple occasions to appeal the death penalty, claiming that his lawyers did an inadequate job of defending him and that his prosecutors were racially motivated in their decision.

She was brutally murdered by her son-in-law. Picture: Supplied

He also claimed to have suffered from foetal alcohol syndrome as well as brain damage due to a fall he sustained as a teenager.

On May 24, 2024, Honie’s death warrant was signed, and on June 10, the method of execution via lethal injection was scheduled for August 8.

Two days before his death, he stood before Utah’s parole board to request a reprieve and expressed remorse over his crimes.

“Yes, I’m a monster,” he said.

“The only thing that kept me going all these years, the only thing I know 100 per cent, this would never happen if I was in my right mind … I make no excuses.”

His daughter, Tressa Honie, told the board she had a complicated relationship with her mother and would lose her most supportive parental figure if her father was executed.

However, other family members believe he deserved no mercy for his unthinkable crimes.

He has been sitting on death row since 1999. Picture: Utah State Correctional Facility

Grandmother Benn was described as a pillar in their family and the south western Utah community.

She was a Paiute tribal member, caring substance abuse counsellor and loving caregiver for her children and grandchildren.

Her niece, Sarah China Azulem, said she was happy with the board’s decision to move forward with Honie’s execution.

“He deserves an eye for an eye,” she said

The day of execution

Honie spent most of his execution day spending time with his daughter, who was two at the time of the crime, and his parents.

The morning of his execution, he ate a breakfast sandwich. A few hours before his death, he tucked into his final meal of a cheeseburger, fries and a milkshake.

He underwent multiple mental health checks throughout the day, with reports stating he was “gracious and appreciative” throughout.

He spoke his last words at 12:03am, where he urged that “change is possible”.

He was put to death via lethal injection. Picture: Utah Department of Corrections

“From the start it’s been, if it needs to be done for them to heal, let’s do this,” he said.

“If they tell you can’t change, don’t listen to them.

“To all my brothers and sisters in here, continue to change. I love you all. Take care.”

Witnesses to the execution stated that it was like “watching someone fall asleep”. He had an IV in both arms which were strapped to the table, said media witness Ben Winslow, a reporter from Fox 13, at a press conference.

He mouthed something to the warden, but witnesses could not make it out. He lifted his head again and took in a “deep exhaling breath and opened his mouth wide”.

His breathing then accelerated before slowing down, his skin turned pane and blue. Shortly after, he was pronounced dead.

Utah’s Attorney-General Sean D. Reyes released a statement regarding the execution and the “deeply held beliefs, powerful emotions and divergent views regarding the death penalty.”

“Death by execution is one of the most extreme uses of government power,” he said. “Many would argue it is ineffective, improper and beyond the authority of man to exercise. Many would disagree.”

He spent the day with his family and ate a last meal of cheeseburger, fries and a milkshake. Picture: Utah Department of Corrections

“But there is no dispute that the violent and unprovoked taking of innocent lives from fellow human beings is among the crimes deemed by society to be most vile, repugnant and punishable by the harshest measures possible. In states like Utah, that includes the death penalty.”

Mixed emotions

Benita Yracheta, Benn’s daughter, told USA TODAY that she feels relief that she can put her mother’s brutal death behind her, saying that justice is “finally happening” and at least Honie could prepare for the day.

“My mom, she never knew her death date,” she said.

“She didn’t know she was gonna die that night.”

She said she wanted her mother to be remembered as someone “who helped our people”.

“There was a big gap there in leadership within the family after her death that remains today,” she said.

The grandmother was a beloved pillar of the community. Picture: Supplied

“I miss her a lot. And every time I think of her, I think of the house and whatnot.”

Honie’s daughter said she feels torn between the love she has for her father and the grief she feels over losing her grandmother in such a horrific way.

“My mom’s side, they can heal together,” she said in an interview.

“I’m happy you guys are going to get this closure, this justice, but where does that leave me? I feel like I have to heal alone.”

She credited her father as being her “most supportive parent” after alleging that drug use drove a wedge between her and her mother.

Honie was the 12th person to be executed in the US this year.