Honkens lawyer, Shawn Nolan, said his client was redeemed and had repented for his crimes. Honken, 52, was pronounced dead at 4:36 p.m. Eastern time after officials at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, administered a lethal dose of pentobarbital, according to the Des Moines Register, which had a reporter present. Days before each cluster of executions last summer, the Bureau of Prisons shipped in dozens of extra staff for training in preparation for the event, as it is elliptically referred to in records. After finishing a year of community college chemistry classes with an A-minus, Honken, decided to become both a drug manufacturer and a dealer using what he had learned. (The records list only $33.11 for Dustin Lee Honkens dinner from Pizza Hut, and $0 spent when Keith Dwayne Nelson refused a meal.) Terry Scott DeGeus was born to Edward and JoAnn DeGeus in Charles City in Floyd County, Iowa, on November 19, 1960. On the other hand, Greg and Lori were bound, gagged, and shot multiple times, including once in the head. Dustin Honken, 52, was sentenced to death for killing government informants and children in his effort to thwart his drug trafficking prosecution in 1993. [3] A few months later, the fifth victim, also a former dealer, was murdered.[3]. Honken is set to die by a lethal. We owe it to the victims of these horrific crimes, and to the families left behind, to carry forward the sentence imposed by our justice system, Attorney General William P. Barr said in a statement. He once held a pillow over Alyssa's face after she told one of his girlfriends that he had other girlfriends. Honken had a notably healthy relationship with his mother, who he described as perfect. Johnson, Honkens girlfriend, was convicted in a separate trial and sentenced to death. Their mother never got to see them having their first dance, first date or first walk down the aisle at their wedding., We will continue to live with their loss, it said. After convincing Honken, then a recent high school graduate, to steal and copy the key to a local bank, his father robbed it. She said goodbye to her friends in the evening. Mueller uses a wheelchair, which he said can complicate the logistics of plane travel, so he decided to drive to Indiana from his home in Arkansas. Greg, Lori, and her daughters had all been shot at least once at close range, execution-style, in the back of the head. On October 14, 2004, Honken was convicted of all 17 counts against him, including five counts of murder in furtherance of a continuing criminal enterprise. His final words were a reciting of the poem Heaven-Heaven by Gerard Manley Hopkins: "I have desired to go, where springs not fail, to fields where flies no sharp and sided hail, and a few lilies blow. A federal judge who ordered two last-minute injunctions before other death row inmates were set to be killed this month declined to do so for Honken. Honken conspired with another inmate to escape from jail by breaking a hole in the wall of his cell and having Johnson deliver a hacksaw and a rope. Prosecutors said she deserved to die since she willingly participated in the murder of children and lacked remorse. Kandi and Amber each had a single bullet wound in the back of their heads. He reportedly did not understand that there wouldnt be any later, according to Kansascity.com. Donations from readers like you are essential to sustaining this work. While in jail, Honken confessed to fellow inmates that he'd killed witnesses from an earlier case. NPR's Carrie Johnson contributed to this report. [36], On December 5, 2019, the Supreme Court denied a stay of Chutkan's injunction, while the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reviewed Chutkan's decision. document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ }); 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. The District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., denied a stay request Thursday as well. 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. . [7], Honken said he planned to plead guilty, and a hearing was scheduled for July 30, 1993. Dustin Honken was convicted of killing a family . Honken, who had been on death row since 2005, was pronounced dead at 4:36 p.m. TERRE HAUTE, Ind. Dustin earned a scholarship to North Iowa Area Community College in 1991 and had initially planned to become a pharmaceutical lawyer. hitType: 'event', Angela lured him under the pretense of building their broken relationship, and the drug kingpin and her girlfriend fatally shot him dead too. "[14], Honken was recorded calling Cobeen a "rat" and saying he would kill him no matter what. Termed Iowas Walter White due to the startling similarities with the popular TV character, he was arrested when his recruits and partner double-crossed him. The elderly couple noticed a few things missing but nothing significant, almost like Lori had packed hurriedly. She was formally sentenced to death on December 19, 2005. [7], Honken and Johnson forced the family into a car at gunpoint and drove to a wooden area outside of the city. [19], In 2000, Johnson's friend, Christi Gaubatz, decided to talk to the police. Terrys hobbies included playing pool, hanging out with his friends, and spending quality time with his children. 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. Upon learning that she had been tricked, Johnson attempted to hang herself. Honken would become the first defendant from Iowa to die from capital punishment since 1963 if his lethal injection takes place as scheduled on Friday, July 17, 2020 in Terre Haute, Ind. "[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. Yet, Marge knew foul play was involved as she never heard from her daughter or grandchildren again. Their primary target that day was Lori Duncans then-boyfriend, Greg Nicholson, who also lived at the home and was also killed. 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. Susan Negersmith was a 20 year-old woman from Carmel, New York. [8], For his cooperation, Cutkomp was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison. [9], Johnson was born in Forest City, Iowa. I let down my family, my children most of all. She could not breathe and swallowed water. The single mother was a Navy veteran, an Elvis Presley fan, and tended to find the good in people. The death row convict had said that his first, second and final meal request should speak for itself," according to WTHI. [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. The drapes were drawn, and cars near the house were parked chaotically, which was uncharacteristic of her daughter. We are one of the worlds fastest growing }); 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. }) On July 17, 2020, Honken was executed by lethal injection. I had just returned to my cell from a hospital stay when I first learned that Lee, and three othersWesley Purkey, Dustin Honken and Keith Nelson had been given execution dates. Honken's lawyer, Alfredo Parrish, requesting a sentence of 10 to 15 years, attacked the government's handling of the evidence in the case. Nonprofit journalism about criminal justice, A nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system. On top of that, the bureau spent $6,594 on bottled water, $6,480 on single-serving bags of potato chips and $12,998 on disposable trays and baggies to deliver it all. The Justice Department has executed Dustin Lee Honken in Terre Haute, Ind., the third federal inmate put to death by the government this week. However, this decision was overturned since the government had never asked McNeese to cooperate in the case against Johnson. For Stubbs and the ACLU, the bureaus lack of forthrightness suggests there are still more costs it hasnt revealed. At the time of his death, Honken had served more than 22 years in an Indiana prison. 2d 663", "Judge removes Iowa woman from death row", "Dustin Lee Honken - Federal Execution - July 17, 2020", "Judge temporarily stops execution of north Iowa mass murderer Dustin Honken", "Supreme Court keeps federal executions, including that of Iowa murderer Dustin Lee Honken, on hold", "Administration seeks resumption of federal executions", "Federal Executions Can Restart After Supreme Court Declines a Case", "Higher courts rebuff late legal efforts, Iowan Dustin Honken put to death", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1993_Iowa_murders&oldid=1152124538. Law enforcement had enough evidence to believe Johnson had something to do with the murders, though Honken remained their suspected triggerman. MEAWW is an initialism for Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. 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. But his lawyer, Shawn Nolan, countered, saying that Honken had been "redeemed" and that he "recognized and repented for the crimes he had committed. "[20], Bennett resentenced Honken to 27 years in prison, saying the minimum sentence was sufficiently harsh. He graduated from West Hancock High School in 1980 a record holder in pole vaulting who enjoyed being a junior high wrestling team member. The man they killed today was a human being, who could have spent the rest of his days helping others and further redeeming himself. While the rest of the prison put everything on hold, officials prepped Leesentenced to death for killing Muellers father, his wife and her daughterfor the lethal injection, using some specially purchased medical supplies. He faced a minimum of 10 years in prison. During her sentencing hearing, Johnson continued to blame Honken, but said "I regret I wasn't strong enough. Honkens execution was the last one in this weeklong spree. (AP) The U.S. government on Friday put to death an Iowa chemistry student-turned-meth kingpin convicted of killing five people, capping a week in which the Trump administration restored federal executions after a 17-year hiatus. TERRE HAUTE, Ind. However this is a steptoward healing of broken hearts and shattered lives.". He wore a wire to a meeting and recorded Honken making a future $3,000 deal. [28], In 2005, Johnson was found guilty of five counts of murder in furtherance of a continuing criminal enterprise. 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. hitType: 'event', While awaiting trial, she met Robert Gene McNeese, a career criminal and informant who was serving a life sentence. "For years now, the government has made these terrible accusations against me," he said. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Upon learning that Nicholson had disappeared, the government turned to Honken's former dealer, DeGeus. He plotted to murder Cutkomp and gave a fellow inmate directions to Cutkomp's house. Honken and the other three plaintiffs in the case argued that the use of pentobarbital could violate the Federal Death Penalty Act of 1994. Johnson was originally sentenced to death for her part in the crime but had her sentence reduced to life in prison. Authorities had found almost 150 grams of pure meth in Nicholson's house, and he'd agreed to become an informant in exchange for leniency. Keith Dwayne Nelson, who kidnapped and raped a 10-year-old girl, is scheduled to be executed Aug. 28. Dustin Honken, 52, would become the first Iowa defendant to be put to death since 1963 if he is executed as scheduled on Friday. Courtney Crowder, the Register's Iowa Columnist, traverses the state's 99 counties telling Iowans' stories. if(document.querySelector("#google_image_div")){ [7], Over the next few weeks, Nicholson became extremely paranoid. }); Marge and her husband drove by later and let themselves in after feeling convinced something was wrong. The two-night hotel stay cost around $200, and the tab was picked up by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. 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 fall of 1995, Honken recruited a man named Dan Cobeen to help him manufacture meth. A Catholic priest, Honkens spiritual adviser, stood near him inside the death chamber. Johnson's defense team pointed to her dysfunctional upbringing and argued that she did not know Honken was going to kill the victims. However, the plot was discovered and stopped by guards. Dustin Honken, Iowa born and bred, inmate #06951-029, was executed in July at the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Ind. 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. His father, Jim, a drunken schemer, held powerful sway over his two sons, Jeff and Dustin, Honkens sister, AlyssaNelson, said during her brothers murder trial. Honken had a healthy relationship with his stepfather.[6]. A judge later reduced her sentence to life behind bars. 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. Honken was tried first, with his trial starting in October 2004. Iowa abolished the death penalty in 1965, but Honken was convicted in federal court becausehe killed government witnesses, interfering with a federal case. Honken, the 35, was later convicted in the . 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 [] }); He had been found guilty of murdering five people, including two. The Bureau of Prisons said Dustin Honken, 52, was pronounced dead at 4:36 p.m. According to court testimonies, Marge Milbrath last saw her daughter on July 25, 1993, while driving to the grocery store. pg.acq.push(function() { I am so blessed that people had compassion to do that, she said. At his sentencing in 2005, Honken denied killing anybody, but Donoghue said she never heard him say he was innocent. Daniel Lewis Lee, a white supremacist who killed a three-person family that includedan 8-year-old girl, and Wesley Ira Purkey, who raped, murdered, dismembered and dumped the body of a 16-year-old girl in a septic pond, were put to death Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. Knowing that youre behind us means so much. In July 2007, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit upheld the conviction, finding sufficient evidence to conclude that Johnson had participated in the murders. "[30] She called him a "sociopath who will never admit to what he has done. }); Three death row convicts, Daniel Lewis Lee, Wesley Ira Purkey, and Dustin Honken were put to death last week in a series of first federal executions in 17 years in the United States. is a staff writer whose book, "Let the Lord Sort Them: The Rise and Fall of the Death Penalty," won the 2019 J. Anthony Lukas Work-In-Progress Book Award. We have real reasons to question whether or not this number now is complete either, Stubbs said. The Supreme Court dismissed a . Keith Dwayne Nelson, who kidnapped and raped a 10-year-old girl, is scheduled to be executed Aug. 28. Its unclear what that training involved, but records show it cost thousands of dollars. [24] Tokars testified that Honken described strangling Lori Duncan and Greg Nicholson, and killed the children since "they could have been witnesses." But authoritiesneeded five things before they could begin to prove their case: the bodies. An Iowa drug kingpin was executed in Indiana on Friday, marking the third person to be killed on the death penalty in the United States this week. Since many of the other witnesses didnt live close enough to drive, they flew in, and the bureau spent more than $4,310 on plane tickets for July and August. 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. The decision by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan is one of the latest unsuccessful efforts to delay the execution of Dustin Lee Honken, an Iowa man convicted of five murders, including two . They found no signs of a struggle inside no blood or furniture in disarray except for an unfinished dinner on the kitchen table. [8], In the winter of 1993 or 1994, Honken went to Cutkomp and said he needed to destroy a pistol. Jim committed two bank robberies before getting caught and sent to federal prison. McNeese gave the notes and map to the authorities, and the victims' bodies were recovered shortly after. Days before Honken was to plead guilty, prosecutors say Honken and Johnson kidnapped Nicholson and his girlfriend, Lori Duncan, and her two daughters, Kandi, 10, and six-year-old Amber. However, he told Johnson that she would need to say everything she knew. Dustin Honken, 37, became the first person sentenced to death in Iowa in more than 40 years. When Scott Mueller drove to Indiana in July to see Daniel Lewis Lee die, he stayed at a Holiday Inn. With no witnesses, the government dropped their drug case in 1995 and Honken went back to making meth. The Archbishop of Newark, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, had written to President Donald Trump in early July 2020 asking him to commute Honken's sentence, claiming that he had witnessed Honken's "spiritual growth in faith and compassion". Iowa abolished the death penalty in 1965, but federal prosecutors sought to execute Honken for killing government informants and children. [] Thought I'd have nightmares. Dustin Honken, convicted of killing five people, will be executed July 17, 2020. is a former staff writer whose work focuses on prisons and jails. 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. None of those sorts of funeral expenses are noted in records for the July and August executions provided to the ACLU. Seconds later, officials announced the time of death. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), ga('ads.send', { Dustin Lee Honken (March 22, 1968 July 17, 2020)[1] and Angela Jane Johnson (born January 17, 1964)[2] are American mass murderers convicted of the 1993 murders of five people in Iowa. Des Moines Register From. Never nothing. However, what he ultimately ate may remain a mystery. Honkens mother, brother and college-age daughter visited him in prison in recent days, she said. The prison food during executions cost more than $77,000 over the course of the summer. The agency also fed the guards and some of the other law enforcement agencies that came to help with outside security, racking up a tab of more than $3,990 for snacks and light refreshments.. A prison official in Terre Haute, Indiana, reportedly told the New York Post: "We will not be providing details of Mr. Lees last meal.". [19], A judge initially barred McNeese from testifying against Johnson during her trial on the grounds that he was acting as a federal agent. 'Stop it!' eventAction: 'load' The Bureau of Prisons refused to comment on the payment records or to answer questions about the operations outlined in the documents. }); His then-wife, Leslie Olson, said he prevented her from going outside or staying near windows for very long. Honken spoke on his back, strapped to a gurney under a pale-green sheet. As a result, Honken and Johnson were federally charged with all five murders. Honken had threatened Nicholson in the past, saying he could order a hit on him or anyone else if he wanted. She is the organization's first formerly incarcerated reporter. [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. The victims' family is expected to provide a written statement to the public at some point soon. She and Dustin were charged with the murders in 2001, with the latter being convicted of all 17 counts against him, including five counts of murder, on October 14, 2004. Circuit vacated District Judge Chutkan's injunction in a per curiam decision. Prisoner Dustin Honken is scheduled to be put to death on Friday, July 17. This page was last edited on 28 April 2023, at 10:41. He had worn a wire, recorded him making drug deals, and handed the recordings to the authorities in exchange for a lenient prison term.