‘He was a blessing,’ former prison employee opens up about man set for execution
Aug 6, 2024, 10:53 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – After spending over 26 years in prison, Taberon Honie is scheduled to be executed this Thursday for the murder of Claudia Benn.
The KSL Investigators reached out to several of Benn’s loved ones who spoke in support of Honie’s execution at his commutation hearing, but none responded.
However, the KSL Investigators interviewed two people who worked with Honie after he murdered Benn. While acknowledging his horrific crime, they said they knew him as a decent man.
Life in prison
Kody Killian worked as a plumber for the Utah State Prison in 2022. He called his time working in the prison a gift and Honie ‘a blessing.’
“Honie was kind. He was considerate. He was courteous,” Killian said.
Honie aided Killian with his work. It was a privilege no other death row inmate earned at the Utah State Prison, according to Honie’s attorneys.
Killian said Honie spent extra time walking the halls, checking in on each inmate, and asking how they were doing.
“Nobody else did that,” Killian said.
Honie’s disciplinary record in prison
Shortly after Killian stopped working for the Utah State Prison, Honie lost his plumbing privileges.
According to prison records, he tested positive for amphetamines on November 30, 2022, and got into a fight with another inmate on July 29, 2023.
Honie attributed the two incidents to his upcoming execution.
Aside from his two most recent write-ups, Honie had six other infractions during his time in prison. Most of the infractions were minor, including having extra blankets and tearing up playing cards.
Claudia Benn’s murder
On July 10, 1998, Honie murdered his ex-girlfriend’s mother, Claudia Benn.
He broke into her home and stabbed her in the neck and pelvic area while her three grandchildren were inside the home.
Honie admitted to police that he planned on raping Benn, but stopped when he realized she was dead. Honie was heavily intoxicated at the time of the murder.
The trial
Stephen McCaughey said defending Honie was the most challenging capital murder case of his career.
“We didn’t really have a defense. I mean, he was intoxicated. He was under the influence of drugs. He didn’t really remember what happened,” McCaughey said. “Our defense really was trying to show his intoxication, trying to minimize wherever we could, knowing that we were going to be asking the jury or the judge to spare his life.”
The trial lasted just two days. The jury spent four hours deliberating and came back with a guilty verdict. All that was left was to decide whether the judge or the jury would sentence Honie.
“Juries in Cedar City have never been known as liberal juries. It’s a very conservative county,” McCaughey told KSL TV.
McCaughey put Honie’s fate in the hands of a judge, hoping he would put more weight on Honie’s difficult upbringing which included abuse, severe poverty, and mental illness.
Honie’s ex also testified that she would be satisfied with life without parole.
The judge sentenced him to death.
McCaughey remembered Honie taking the news well, describing him as stoic.
“You know, he was just basically a quiet, good-natured, easy-to-deal-with client. And I’ve had a lot that are not easy to deal with,” McCaughey said.
Reflecting on Honie
Killian admitted he never spoke to Honie about his past and didn’t know the extent of it until recently.
“All I can tell you is knowing Honie for the time I did, all the people that knew him, he was a good man. And he became something better than what he was,” Killian said.
Honie is 48 years old, just one year younger than Claudia Benn was when he murdered her.
Have you experienced something you think just isn’t right? The KSL Investigators want to help. Submit your tip at investigates@ksl.com or 385-707-6153 so we can get working for you.
