Why Does Herod Say He Had Beheaded John the Baptist When He Knows He's in Prison? (Mark 6) In discussing what King Herod had heard about Jesus, in Mark 6:16-17, it says:


  But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!” For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison.


If you continue reading verse 14 through verse 29, it's clear that Herod knows John is still in prison. In fact, he doesn't behead him until verses 27-28. Why would he then say he had been raised from the dead knowing he is still alive?

All I could come up with is that this sequence is not in chronological order. Are verses 14-16 the result of what happens in 16-29?
Look at the phraseology of Verse 17 :" For Herod had sent and seized John.." . In terms of English grammar, 'had sent' implies Past Perfect Tense which is used to indicate an action that is already complete at the time of the main  action which is spoken of. Here, the main action spoken of is Herod wondering whether John the Baptist had come back to life.  So, there is no duality of expression here.