After a pause for the holidays, South Carolina is resuming executions.

The state Supreme Court has scheduled the next execution in South Carolina for January 31, following a pause during the holidays.

Officials are considering resuming executions for inmates who have exhausted their appeals but whose executions were halted due to difficulties in obtaining lethal injection drugs.

In January, Marion Bowman Jr., 44, will be executed for the murder of his friend whose charred remains were discovered in the trunk of her car in Dorchester County in 2001.

Bowman's lawyers stated on Friday that he remains innocent and that it is unconscionable to put him to death due to lingering doubts about his conviction.

Since September, three inmates have been executed in the state, with the third being the third to receive lethal injection drugs. The first two, Freddie Owens and Richard Moore, opted for lethal injection, but inmates have the option to choose electrocution or a new firing squad.

The state Supreme Court ruled that executions can be scheduled five weeks apart, and three more inmates are now awaiting their execution dates.

The court had the option to set Bowman's execution date as early as Dec. 6, but lawyers for the four inmates scheduled for execution requested a delay until January, which was granted without comment by the court.

The lawyers stated in court documents that six consecutive executions with minimal breaks would have a significant impact on everyone involved, especially during a crucial time of year for families.

The state's attorneys stated that prison officials were ready to adhere to the original schedule and that the state had previously executed prisoners around Christmas and New Year's, with a total of five executions occurring between Dec. 4, 1998, and Jan. 8, 1999.

South Carolina experienced a 13-year halt in executions before resuming this fall due to difficulties in obtaining lethal injection drugs after their supply expired. This was because pharmaceutical companies were worried about disclosing that they had sold the drugs to state officials. However, the state legislature passed a shield law two years ago that permits officials to maintain the privacy of lethal injection drug suppliers.

In July, the state Supreme Court cleared the way to resume executions.

No governor in South Carolina has ever commuted a death sentence to life in prison without parole, despite the option for death row inmates to request clemency from Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican.

Bowman has until next week to receive confirmation from South Carolina's prisons director that lethal injection, the electric chair, and the firing squad are all viable execution methods.

An inmate in the U.S. was executed by a firing squad for the last time in Utah in 2010, as per the Death Penalty Information Center.

In 2001, Kandee Martin, 21, was killed by Bowman, who was subsequently convicted of the crime. Several individuals close to Bowman provided testimony against him as part of plea bargains they struck with prosecutors.

A friend stated that Bowman was upset due to Martin's debt, while another friend testified that Bowman believed Martin was wearing a recording device to have him arrested.

Bowman's legal team requested a postponement of his execution from the state Supreme Court in order to hold a hearing on their final appeal, which contends that his trial attorney was not adequately prepared and showed excessive sympathy towards the white victim rather than Bowman, his black client.

His lawyers stated on Friday that he did not receive a fair trial and had inadequate legal representation.

Justice 360's executive director, Lindsey S. Vann, stated that Bowman's trial lawyer pressured him to plead guilty and made poor decisions based on his racist views rather than strategic legal counsel.

Vann, who spoke on behalf of Bowman's legal team, stated that his conviction was founded on biased testimony from witnesses who received reduced or dropped sentences in exchange for their cooperation.

Since the resumption of the death penalty in the U.S. in 1976, South Carolina has executed 45 inmates. In the early 2000s, the state averaged three executions per year. Only nine other states have executed more inmates.

The state's death row population has decreased significantly since the unintentional execution pause began in 2011.

In early 2011, the state had 63 death row inmates, but now only has 30. Approximately 20 inmates have been removed from death row and given different sentences after successful appeals, while others have passed away due to natural causes.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.