Their primary target that day was Lori Duncans then-boyfriend, Greg Nicholson, who also lived at the home and was also killed. "Honken has not demonstrated a likelihood of success on his claim that the 2019 Protocol is arbitrary and capricious based on its failure to consider the risk of flash pulmonary edema," the court of appeals wrote, citing language used in similar decisions. eventAction: 'load' Investigators were sure Honken was involved with the earlier missing people;the coincidences were too great, but they were no closer to finding the bodies. gads_event = event; Death-row inmate Dustin Lee Honken, who killed a family of four, including two children and another person, was executed on Friday, July 17, at 4 pm local time, marking the government's third federal execution in a month after 17 years. [7] Johnson told Honken that DeGeus was personally using too much meth which was supposed to be sold, and that they should deal with each other instead. window.adsContainer = {"positionAfterTitle":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle5_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position2":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_After_Title_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position3":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Below_Next_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position4":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position5":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle1_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position6":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle2_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position7":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle3_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position8":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle4_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position9":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle5_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position10":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle6_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position11":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle7_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position12":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle8_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position13":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle9_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position14":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle10_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position15":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle11_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position16":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle12_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"positionTop":{"code":"Article_Desktop_970x250_Header_Rel","isOrganicUserAd":false,"max_width":970,"max_height":250},"positionBottom":{"code":"Article_Desktop_Sidebar_Bottom_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":300,"max_height":600},"positionBottomRight":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_After_Title_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":336,"max_height":280}} [5] On November 20, 2019, U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan issued a preliminary injunction preventing the resumption of federal executions. When I get out, he's still dead." To prepare for his escape, Honken and fellow inmates practiced retrieving an officer's weapon, learning how to remove handcuffs with minimal tools, and training in martial arts scenarios centering around encounters with an armed escort. Later that month, she was re-sentenced to life in prison without parole. MEAWW brings you the best content from its global team of Without any witnesses, the government was forced to drop its case against Honken. She said goodbye to her friends in the evening. [] Never dream about it. Dustin Honken, 52, who prosecutors said killed key witnesses to stop them from testifying in his drugs case, received a lethal injection at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. These are the stories that you need to know about capital punishment's past, as well as its uncertain future. 3d 937", "From meth to murder: How a small-town Iowa boy became the state's first death row inmate in 50 years", "FindLaw's United States Eighth Circuit case and opinions", "Witnesses Testify about Honken's Drug Operation", "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA vs. ANGELA JOHNSON", "184 F3d 961 United States of America v. Dustin Lee Honken", "Fred Tokars, lawyer who set up murder of his wife, dies in prison", "OPINION: Maybe wife-killer Fred Tokars got a fate worse than death", "Iowa meth kingpin is 3rd executed by US government this week", "Johnson v. United States, 860 F. Supp. Purkey, the night before he was put to death, saw Bill Clinton on television and said that he intended to vote for him in November elections. Although it was Honken who pulled the trigger, killing three adults and two children, Angela Johnson received the death penalty for four of the victims, while Honken was sentenced to death for only the . None of those sorts of funeral expenses are noted in records for the July and August executions provided to the ACLU. An appellate court agreed, adding that "one can easily conclude from witnesses' testimony that appellee caused the disappearance of one or more persons, including prospective prosecution witnesses, in 1993. Here's what Lee, Purkey, and Honken wished to eat for their final meals and the words they spoke as they left the world: Lee, a 47-year-old white supremacist, who tortured and killed an Arkansas family in 1996, was executed in Indiana early morning on Tuesday, June 14. Gerard Manley Hopkins' poem, "Heaven-Haven,". [23], Honken and Johnson were tried separately. [34], Honken exhausted his appeals in 2014, but at the time, the U.S. federal government had a de facto moratorium on capital punishment. [8], On November 5, 1993, DeGeus also disappeared. Honken is set to die by a lethal. Execution for Iowa mass killer Dustin Honken on hold Dustin Honken Executed: Third Federal Government Execution This Week And I have asked to be, Where no storms come, Where the green swell is in the havens dumb, And out of the swing of the sea," he said. It was announced on Thursday that Iowa drug kingpin Dustin Lee Honken, who killed five people in the early 90s, has been scheduled to be executed 15 years after receiving his [] The folding table to register them cost $47.98 at Lowes. "Finally justice is being done. }) [6][10] Honken's defense presented testimony from his family, and pointed to his age and lack of prior violent convictions as mitigating factors. The two eventually located Nicholson. I let down my family, my children most of all. While in prison, Angela Johnson confessed to the murders to another prisoner who became an informant, supplying all the details and a hand-drawn map of the bodies location all handed over to the authorities. Honken was tried first, with his trial starting in October 2004. The attorneys of each convict tried to block their clients' executions in last-ditch attempts to save their lives, two of them nearly succeeded only for the Supreme Court to ultimately give the green light to the Trump administration to go ahead. Federal government executes third inmate this week after 17-year hiatus As the investigation into Honken continued, he killed another drug dealer working with him, Terry DeGeus, beating him with a bat and shooting him. I am deeply sorry. Its unclear what that training involved, but records show it cost thousands of dollars. With no witnesses, the government dropped their drug case in 1995 and Honken went back to making meth. Department of Justice spokesperson Kerri Kupec said ending Honken's life was the culmination of "just punishment" being carried out. He never returned, and his body was found seven years later in a field outside Mason City in 2000. Inmate on death row may know secrets about Jodi Huisentruit case - WXOW [13][31], In March 2012, federal judge Mark W. Bennett vacated Johnson's death sentence, citing a failure by her attorneys to introduce evidence about her mental state from an "alarmingly" dysfunctional defense team. [7][19], Honken was charged with the murders in 2001. The inmate known for his verbosity at hearings and for a rambling statement declaring his innocence at sentencing spoke only briefly, neither addressing victims family members nor saying he was sorry. He then did the same to the children. He was pronounced dead at 3:36p.m. May he rest in peace.". In 2004, Dustin Lee Honken was convicted on federal charges in execution-style slayings of five people in Iowa. But his lawyer, Shawn Nolan, countered, saying that Honken had been "redeemed" and that he "recognized and repented for the crimes he had committed. Dustin switched to methamphetamine, enlisting the help of his best friend, Tim Cutkomp, and moved to Arizona to set up his drug empire. [3] A few months later, the fifth victim, also a former dealer, was murdered.[3]. In recent days, prison authorities permitted Honken to make his last calls to family and friends, according to Sister Betty Donoghue, a Catholic nun whom he called Wednesday. }); A $6,300 Bus. A $33 Last Meal. What New Documents Tell Us About Trump's "For years now, the government has made these terrible accusations against me," he said. The prison food during executions cost more than $77,000 over the course of the summer. let gads_event; 'Stop it!' We believe the defendant was involved in this. He worked for Holland Construction in Forest City and later drove a semi for Schmidt Trucking of Britt. "[17][18], U.S. District Judge Mark W. Bennett imposed sentencing enhancements on Honken for attempting to obstruct justice and having a major role in the conspiracy, and granted a deduction for Honken accepting responsibility. [] Thought I'd have nightmares. During one of their drug runs, Dustin met Angela Johnson, Terrys erstwhile girlfriend, and the two struck up a business relationship that soon evolved into a romantic one. They drove the hostages to a wooded area outside the city and shot them execution-style. His execution is fast approaching and he is scheduled to die on July 17th at a prison in Terre Haute, Indiana. Dennis Putzier said Honken had bragged about murdering witnesses in 1993. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Honken was considered so dangerous that the judge took the rare step of impaneling an anonymous jury. [7] He and Johnson passed notes through the food slot in his door about their lives in jail and their childhoods. The portable restrooms cost $1,605. Dustin Honken, 52, who prosecutors said killed key witnesses to stop them from testifying in his case, received a lethal injection at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana.. Acting on a tip that Johnson might be skipping town, authorities indicted her with aiding and abetting the murders of Nicholson, Duncan, Kandi, Amber and her ex-boyfriend DeGeus. Circuit vacated District Judge Chutkan's injunction in a per curiam decision. Inside, 2,600 prisoners in the two-prison complex were locked down. However, what he ultimately ate may remain a mystery. Once he checked into the Holiday Inn, guards took him to restaurants in a special handicap rental van that cost $543.40. Moments before being sentenced Honken maintained his innocence, accusing the judge in his case of having a "death agenda." Honken was convicted in October 2004 of murder in the 1993 deaths of five North Iowans. After several minutes his breathing became more labored. "Nearly three decades after Honken coldly ended the lives of five people, including two young girls, all in an effort to protect himself and his criminal enterprise, he has finally faced justice," said department spokesperson Kerri Kupec. After officials began administering the lethal injection, Honken began blinking his eyes, his fingers twitching and his lips quivering. The execution of Dustin Lee Honken proceeded without any last-minute delays, unlike those of the two other federal inmates who had been put to death in previous days. Let the Lord Sort Them: The Rise and Fall of the Death Penalty. As part of an agreement, she agreed to drop all of her appeals. Death-row inmate Dustin Lee Honken, who killed a family of four, including two children and another person, was executed on Friday, July 17, at 4 pm local time, marking the government's third federal execution in a month after 17 years. [8], In the winter of 1993 or 1994, Honken went to Cutkomp and said he needed to destroy a pistol. Iowa-licensed. On top of that, the staff hotel rooms cost at least $35,000a number that is likely far short of the total, since many of the hotel-related line items in the spending records dont specify whose bills they covered. When the time of death was. Purkey was put to death at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana, at 8:19 a.m. local time. Lori Ann Milbrath Duncan was born to Marge Milbrath in Mason City in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, on November 22, 1961. Records providing details of the spending, which the American Civil Liberties Union estimates totaled nearly $4.7 million over two months, were released under the federal Freedom of Information Act. Yet Donoghue, of the Sisters of Providence just outside Terre Haute, said she was startled by how calm Honken sounded over the phone. Dustin Honken, Iowa born and bred, inmate #06951-029, was executed in July at the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Ind. Like the other inmates put to death this week, Honken had appealed his sentence up until the last moments before his scheduled execution at 3 p.m.Central Daylight TimeFriday. Its weirdly laughable. In 2004, Dustin Lee Honken was . Honken, 52, was sentenced to die in October 2005 after being convicted of numerous offenses, including five counts of murder among them two small children during the course of a continuing criminal enterprise. Dustin Lee Honken was formally sentenced to death on October 11, 2005. eventAction: 'render' eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Iowa drug kingpin who killed 5 set for execution Friday - NBC News [10][11] Johnson was raised by extremely religious grandparents who would hold her down, wave Bibles over her head, and speak in tongues in an attempt to exorcise demons from her. Honken and Cutkomp were promptly arrested on federal drug-trafficking charges. He suspected that Honken had killed Nicholson and was afraid of being wrongfully accused of murder. He once held a pillow over Alyssa's face after she told one of his girlfriends that he had other girlfriends. Witnesses: Honken, girlfriend strangled little girls to keep them quiet An officer outside the the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana, where the federal government was preparing to execute Daniel Lewis Lee in July 2020. two more men to death this week before he leaves office, Christopher Vialva was executed in September. The man they killed today could have spent the rest of his days helping others and further redeeming himself., In a statement, Justice Department spokesperson Kerri Kupec said just punishment has been carried out.. PDF 100 moments - Iowa Department of Public Safety [28], In 2005, Johnson was found guilty of five counts of murder in furtherance of a continuing criminal enterprise. But days after the still-undiscovered killings of Nicholson and the Duncans, he told the court he would stick to his not guilty plea. However, she panicked when she drove by Loris apartment the following day, on July 26. [35], On July 25, 2019, United States Attorney General William Barr announced that the moratorium on federal executions would be lifted after approving the use of the single drug pentobarbital for federal executions. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post Magazine, the Houston Chronicle and The New York Times. [3] His father, Jim Honken, was an alcoholic schemer who was allegedly neglectful. Two others were also put to death during the week after a hiatus of nearly 20 years, including Wesley Purkey. Dustin Honken is a convicted murderer - currently on death row in Illionois prison. Among them were many of the inmates to whom Honken had confessed, including Fred Tokars. The first in the spate federal executions happened Tuesday, when Daniel Lewis Lee was put to death for killing a family in the 1990s as part of a plot to build a whites-only nation. Just before his death, Lee reportedly implored to the media at his execution to ask the judge about DNA evidence that was left out of his trial. Prosecutors said she deserved to die since she willingly participated in the murder of children and lacked remorse. [7], Over the next few weeks, Nicholson became extremely paranoid. He claimed he had nothing to do with the 1993 disappearances. Iowa abolished the death penalty in 1965, but federal. The two started a romantic relationship and Johnson soon became pregnant with Honken's child. I'm sorry, but that ain't no choice. Love, Lori.. During separate trials in 2004 and 2005, Dustin Honken and Angela Johnson were each convicted of the murders and both were given the death penalty. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotOnload', function(event) { Lawyers for Honken requested in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia a stay of execution. Like, you need that? Lees execution, like Purkeys, went ahead only after the U.S. Supreme Court gave it a green light in a 5-4 decision hours before. He'd apologized, saying "I wasn't expecting things to go this way. Alyssa was unable to breathe and was scared that her brother would kill her, but he stopped, apologized, and started crying when he realized what he had done. Investigators found the Nicholson and Duncan bodies only seven years after the killings, in 2000, after Johnson scrawled out a map showing a jailhouse informant where they were buried. This page was last edited on 28 April 2023, at 10:41. }) Iowa killer Dustin Lee Honken faces execution | The Gazette More: Iowa outlawed the death penalty 55 years ago. Families for two of Honken's victims provided public statements, differing in tone and length, but each rife with emotion. The Bureau of Prisons said Dustin Honken, 52, was pronounced dead at 4:36 p.m. Dustin Honken is led by federal marshals to a waiting car after the second day of jury selection in federal court in Sioux City, Iowa, on 2004. . While he did not offer an apology to his victims' families, his attorney, Shawn Nolan, said the former drug ring leader had repented for his crimes. [7] Within a year, Honken and Cutkomp managed to produce several pounds of nearly pure meth, which they sold in northeast Iowa, primarily through two dealers: Terry DeGeus and Greg Nicholson. There was the electrocardiogram machine ($1,459) and EKG tape ($81.24), a suture kit ($470.88), a heating pad ($18.46), assorted medical supplies ($374.67) and an ultrasound rental ($2,000), likely to help find a vein if the usual arm veins proved difficult. The government paid for snacks, drinks and pizza. [8] On July 24, 1993, Johnson pretended to be a lost saleswoman to get into Nicholson's home, where she and Honken bound him and forced him to record a statement claiming that Honken was innocent. hide caption. Dustin Lee Honken: US government executes 3rd federal inmate this week His lawyers pointed to the lack of physical evidence linking him to the murders. Federal court appeals later described their relationship while dismissing claims that there was substantial mitigation in his upbringing: The movant's mother provided a stable, nurturing and loving environment, never abandoned him, did not fail to provide any sort of safe space or comfort to him, never neglected him, never failed to calm him or tell him that things were going to be okay, acted as a loving caretaker and facilitated the movant's attachment to her by making herself available to him. Never nothing. According to court testimonies, Marge Milbrath last saw her daughter on July 25, 1993, while driving to the grocery store. Honken was involved in the manufacturing of methamphetamine, and one of his dealers was set to testify against him, so Honken and Johnson murdered him . He had worn a wire, recorded him making drug deals, and handed the recordings to the authorities in exchange for a lenient prison term. The good-hearted Lori allowed a new friend, Greg Nicholson, to move into her home, knowing he had dealt drugs before but believing he was in rehab and willing to give him a chance in 1993. Moreover, Terry informed his mother that he was meeting his former girlfriend, Angela Johnson. They found no signs of a struggle inside no blood or furniture in disarray except for an unfinished dinner on the kitchen table. To minimize potential prejudice, the court ordered for officers not to move Honken in the presence of the jury and that table skirts be placed on the counsel tables so the jury would be unable to see the shackles. [7], McNeese got Johnson to confess to the murders by claiming he could find another inmate who could take the blame. [6], Honken, who was proficient in math, science, and writing, earned a scholarship to North Iowa Area Community College in 1991. [] The maximum sentence sends a message to this defendant and other defendants who are thinking about taking things into their own hands that that conduct is unacceptable. The high cost of capital punishmentfrom trials to appeals to executionshas been a constant feature of debates about the punishment and could come up if Congress takes on the issue. The government announced they would seek death sentences for both Honken and Johnson. While studying legal documents, Dustin learned Greg had become an informant after being caught with almost 150 grams of pure meth inside his apartment. Subscribe today at DesMoinesRegister.com/Deal. ga('ads.send', { ET Friday. A coroner pronounced him dead by lethal injection at 4:36 p.m. After the two previous executions were repeatedly delayed amid back-and-forth legal maneuvering, Honkens began almost on the minute it had been scheduled for weeks. Dustin Honken, an Iowa meth kingpin who kidnapped and killed five people to thwart his prosecution for drug trafficking in . }); }); Dustin Honken, 52, who prosecutors said killed key witnesses to stop them from testifying in his drugs case, received a lethal injection at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. Johnson took Duncan's daughters, 10-year-old Kandace Duncan and 6-year-old Amber Duncan, telling them that they were going on a surprise trip. The prosecution said he had every reason to kill the victims and presented 65 witnesses against him. Terry Scott DeGeus was born to Edward and JoAnn DeGeus in Charles City in Floyd County, Iowa, on November 19, 1960. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), NPR's Carrie Johnson contributed to this report. ga('ads.send', { His fingers gradually stopped twitching, and his breathing became shallower until it stopped. As the trio was executed, they expressed their views for the final time, with one even maintaining his innocence till his last breath. Other van rentals for shuttling around staff and witnesses totaled at least $4,500 over the five executions, while a bus rental cost $6,330. Even if I'm in prison for [] 15 years, whatever. He believed he would go to heaven. Using this evidence, and testimony from a collection of prisoners Honken told in not-so-subtle terms that he killed a handful of people in 1993, prosecutors brought murder charges against the former underworld honcho. Iowa meth kingpin is 3rd executed by U.S. government this week But as Honken'soperation grew, so too did his dependence on meth and his singular focus on success no matter the cost. On behalf of the prosecution, Assistant U.S. Attorney Pat Reinert argued for a life sentence, spending hours making a case for sentencing enhancements on the grounds that Honken had something to do with the disappearances of Nicholson, Lori, Kandace, Amber, and DeGeus: "It appears that these people are dead. In addition, they discovered a note addressed to the neighbor, stating, Phyllis, we had to leave on short notice. Dustin's last meal was Pizza Hut his bill came to $33.11 Dustin Honken, was convicted of five counts of Continuing Criminal Enterprise murder. Johnson was originally sentenced to death for her part in the crime but had her sentence reduced to life in prison. He graduated from West Hancock High School in 1980 a record holder in pole vaulting who enjoyed being a junior high wrestling team member. eventAction: 'click_image_ads' pg.acq.push(function() { [7] Prosecutors played a tape in which Honken was recorded saying that he liked killing people and compared the feeling to getting high on drug. The spending records from July and August offer glimpses of not only the cost but the logistics of how the government puts prisoners to death. [41][42], Honken leaving a federal courthouse after being sentenced on October 11, 2005, Guilty plea to manufacturing and distributing meth, Johnson's trial, sentencing, and commutation, Murder in furtherance of a continuing criminal enterprise, Conspiracy to commit murder in furtherance of a continuing criminal enterprise, Conspiracy to tamper with witnesses and to solicit the murder of witnesses, Attempting to manufacture methamphetamine, Conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine, United States Federal Sentencing Guidelines, United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Capital punishment by the United States federal government, List of people executed by the United States federal government, List of people executed in the United States in 2020, List of serial killers in the United States, "Dustin Lee Honken: US government executes 3rd federal inmate this week", Judge vacates Angela Johnson's death sentence, "Iowa Drug Kingpin Who Killed 5 People in 1993 to Be Executed", "July execution scheduled for Iowa native Dustin Lee Honken, convicted in 2004 of murdering 5", "Infamous Iowa murderer Dustin Honken to be executed in 2020", "Honken v. United States, 42 F. Supp.