South Carolina has executed its first death row inmate in 13 years by administering a lethal injection.

Freddie Owens, 46, who was executed Friday night, was found guilty by a jury of murdering Irene Graves, an employee he killed during an armed robbery in Greenville in 1997.

Owens was executed despite his co-accused signing an affidavit this week claiming Owens was not present at the time of the robbery and murder.

The South Carolina Supreme Court refused to stay his execution, however, saying the allegations were inconsistent with testimony given at his trial.

Owens was executed at the Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia, South Carolina, and was pronounced dead at 6:55 p.m. local time (22:55 GMT) after being injected with a drug called pentobarbital.

In the death chamber, the 46-year-old said only “goodbye” to his lawyer as he was bound with his arms at his sides, according to the Associated Press. He remained conscious for about a minute, then his eyes closed and he took several deep breaths. His breaths slowed, his face contorted for about five minutes before all movement stopped.

Owens was sentenced to death in 1999, two years after Graves’ murder, after being convicted of murder, armed robbery and criminal conspiracy.

The day after his conviction, he killed his cellmate in his jail cell, CNN’s WHNS reports.

Inmates in South Carolina can choose whether they want to die by lethal injection, electric chair or firing squad. Owens said he could not choose his execution method citing his Muslim faith, which says suicide is a sin, so the decision was made by his attorney, who chose lethal injection for him, according to the Greenville News.