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. He added: "There was no reason for the government to kill him, in haste or at all. document.querySelector("#google_image_div").addEventListener('click',function(){ Iowa abolished the death penalty in 1965, but federal. Later, when the authorities learned Dustin had changed his plea and Greg was missing, they wanted Terry to become an informant. This sanitized murder really does not serve no purpose whatsoever.". Johnson's mother was an abusive and neglectful alcoholic. He was due to be executed in January of 2020, however, that was delayed due to appeals based on the method of death and whether or not it caused unnecessary pain and suffering. Her memoir, "Corrections in Ink", came out in June 2022. He killed five people, including two young girls, in 1993. Prosecutors said she deserved to die since she willingly participated in the murder of children and lacked remorse. Terry Scott DeGeus was born to Edward and JoAnn DeGeus in Charles City in Floyd County, Iowa, on November 19, 1960. Terry also drove a truck for Bud Ranken and Bud Schrotter. He suspected that Honken had killed Nicholson and was afraid of being wrongfully accused of murder. 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. Donations from readers like you are essential to sustaining this work. A statement from relatives of Lori, Amber and Kandace Duncan the 31-year-old mother and her 6- and 10-year-old daughters whomHonken also killed lamented that their lives were "taken" while Honken's continued for 27 more years. "[30] She called him a "sociopath who will never admit to what he has done. Consequently, Honken's offense level under the United States Federal Sentencing Guidelines was set at 38, which called for a sentence of 235 to 293 months in prison. Honken, the 35, was later convicted in the . CNN The US government on Friday executed Dustin Lee Honken, the third federal inmate to receive the death penalty this week after the punishment was revived by the Trump administration. }); Dustin Honken is up for execution for the murder of five . Youre killing an innocent man, He had said. Her lawyer said she was extremely relieved and grateful upon hearing of the decision. Lori Duncan didnt know Nicholson was an informant and she wasnt involved in drugs. Subscribe today at DesMoinesRegister.com/Deal. He later said that he had initially planned to become a pharmaceutical lawyer. 0. 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. I am sorry for what I have done, but I haven't done these heinous crimes the government accuses me of. }); The man they killed today was a human being, who could have spent the rest of his days helping others and further redeeming himself. Honken had physically and verbally abused his sister, Alyssa. eventAction: 'click_image_ads' The victims were related to a drug trial against Honken. This page was last edited on 28 April 2023, at 10:41. Nearly three decades after Honken coldly ended the lives of five people all in an effort to protect himself and his criminal enterprise, he has finally faced justice, Kupec said. 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. Seconds later, officials announced the time of death. Never think about it. [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. While preparing for his trial, Honken discovered through legal documents that Nicholson had turned witness. [] Never dream about it. The federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Ind., has been the site of three federal executions in a week, including Friday's of Dustin Lee Honken. During that first execution and those that followed, the prisoners ate sack lunches and box meals after the mess hall closed for the lockdown. In 1990, Honken raped and threatened his girlfriend. More: Iowa outlawed the death penalty 55 years ago. The Bureau of Prisons refused to comment on the payment records or to answer questions about the operations outlined in the documents. 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. He was pronounced dead at 3:36p.m. The 52-year-old died by lethal injection at the Federal Correctional Institution in Terre Haute, Indiana, where he's been on death row since 2005. Johnson gave him written notes and a map revealing the locations of the victim's bodies. (The records list only $33.11 for Dustin Lee Honken' s dinner from Pizza Hut, and $0 spent when Keith Dwayne Nelson refused a meal .) [39] Circuit Judges Gregory G. Katsas and Neomi Rao wrote concurring opinions concluding that Honken may be executed, but for different reasons. It will bring a sense of closure, but we will continue to live with their loss. 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. And there are some potentially larger expenses, like whatever might be included in the 28 pages of records officials admitted to withholding. But he soon startedselling marijuana and cocaine anddecided to become both a drug manufacturer and a dealer with his knowledge of chemistry. I will be in touch shortly. ET Friday. [40] Circuit Judge David S. Tatel dissented, arguing the statute explicitly requires the federal government to follow state execution protocols. Upon learning that Nicholson had disappeared, the government turned to Honken's former dealer, DeGeus. But his lawyer, Shawn Nolan, countered, saying that Honken had been "redeemed" and that he "recognized and repented for the crimes he had committed. Lori Ann Milbrath Duncan was born to Marge Milbrath in Mason City in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, on November 22, 1961. Within a year, Honken and his childhood friend, Tim Cutkomp, had moved to Arizona, built a sophisticated methamphetamine cooking setup and all but perfected a recipe for pure meth, which they sold mainly through two dealers in northeast Iowa: DeGeus, 32, and Greg Nicholson, 34. 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. As the investigation into Honken continued, he killed another drug dealer working with him, Terry DeGeus, beating him with a bat and shooting him. She could not breathe and swallowed water. 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. Iowa-licensed. Dustin Honken, 37, became the first person sentenced to death in Iowa in more than 40 years. Although details of his last meal were not revealed, Honken, in his last words, recited a poem by an English poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, SJ called Heaven-Heaven. Its also not clear how many prison workers flew to Indiana or how many nights they stayed, but Mueller said at least a few guards were at the Holiday Inn with him and other witnesses in July. Dustin Lee Honken was born in Britt, Iowa, on March 22, 1968, and suffered from an abusive childhood. "He recognized and repented for the crimes he had committed, and spent his time in prison atoning for them," Nolan said in a statement. She told them about Honken's and Johnson's search for Nicholson and that she had seen the pistol used in the 1993 murders in Johnson's closet before it was destroyed. The two-night hotel stay cost around $200, and the tab was picked up by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. 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. [7], On July 30, 1993, Honken gave his attorney the recording and said he was changing his plea. Honken has rarely spoken publicly since his sentencing, but until Friday's statement from his lawyer maintainedhis innocence. [7] Another inmate said Honken killed "rats" and children "raised by rats". "[14], Honken was recorded calling Cobeen a "rat" and saying he would kill him no matter what. Prisoner Dustin Honken is scheduled to be put to death on Friday, July 17. [13], Honken, seeking to expand his drug dealing business, studied chemistry textbooks at the library, read science journals, kept extremely thorough records, made plans to expand his business to the Internet, and considered writing his own book about how to make and sell meth in the United States. Knowing that youre behind us means so much. if(document.querySelector("#ads")){ 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. 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. In addition, they discovered a note addressed to the neighbor, stating, Phyllis, we had to leave on short notice. After all appeals and injunctions were dismissed by various courts over the years, the 52-year-old was executed by lethal injection in the US Penitentiary in Terre Haute on July 17, 2020. if(document.querySelector("#google_image_div")){ Well never put our work behind a paywall, and well never put a limit on the number of articles you can read. Like, you need that? [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. Investigation Discoverys Murder in the Heartland: Invitation To Be Killed chronicles how a meth kingpin, Dustin Lee Honken, killed two informants and their loved ones to prevent them from testifying against him in his federal drug trial. On July 24, Dustin and Angela broke into Loris home, forced Greg to record a statement claiming Dustin was innocent, and abducted him and the Duncan family at gunpoint. I have seen people get murdered here and being in a place like this makes the sentence I have now almost like a death sentence. 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. . However, she panicked when she drove by Loris apartment the following day, on July 26. On another occasion, Honken tried to drown Alyssa in a hotel pool. }); "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. Twitter He worked for Holland Construction in Forest City and later drove a semi for Schmidt Trucking of Britt. Dustin Lee Honken was born in Britt, Iowa, on March 22, 1968, and suffered from an abusive childhood. Anytime we needed anything, we were supposed to ask them, he said. In Lewis Lees case, his victims family had requested his sentencebe reduced to life in prison; in Purkeys, his lawyers asserted that dementia and schizophrenia meant he was not competent to be executed. While Honken's execution is the last one in this weeklong spree, Keith Dwayne Nelson, who kidnapped and raped a 10-year-old girl, is scheduled to be executed Aug. 28. The two used a blowtorch to cut and melt the gun into multiple pieces, which they discarded in ditches along a country road. 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. [34], Honken exhausted his appeals in 2014, but at the time, the U.S. federal government had a de facto moratorium on capital punishment. Its unclear what that training involved, but records show it cost thousands of dollars. A Catholic priest, Honkens spiritual adviser, stood near him inside the death chamber. The single mother was a Navy veteran, an Elvis Presley fan, and tended to find the good in people. The day of Lees execution, Mueller and the other witnesses arrived at the prison in the afternoon. Marges other grandchild, Amber, 6, was inside the house. Dustin switched to methamphetamine, enlisting the help of his best friend, Tim Cutkomp, and moved to Arizona to set up his drug empire. 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. [] Thought I'd have nightmares. In July 2000, Johnson was charged with five counts of murder in furtherance of a continuing criminal enterprise. Purkey, a 68-year-old on death row for rape and murders in 1998, was executed on Thursday, July 16, by lethal injection as the Trump administration carried out its second federal execution. }); He also decided to switch to meth. "For years now, the government has made these terrible accusations against me," he said. 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. A statement from the Duncan family said the execution provided a degree of justice and closure to the family. After inadvertently learning that Nicholson had turned states witness, Honken and Johnson set out to find him and force him to recant his statements. 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. His last words were, "Holy Mary, mother of God . 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. pg.acq.push(function() { The folding table to register them cost $47.98 at Lowes. However, he and Tim were arrested on federal drug trafficking charges in March 1993. Starting just minutes after its scheduled time, Honken recited Jesuit priest Gerard Manley Hopkins' poem, "Heaven-Haven," before saying a Hail Mary, though he tagged on an additional line: "Hail Mary, Mother of God, pray for me.". eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), He killed five people, including two young girls, in 1993. 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. Never nothing. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), The 68-year-old, who was reportedly suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's, before his execution, said: "I deeply regret the pain and suffering I caused to Jennifers family. After a court found that Honken posed an extreme security risk due to his history of escape attempts and threatening witnesses, he was ordered to wear a stun belt and be shackled and bolted to the floor during his trial. On death row, Honken befriended Lee and knew his execution was called off one hour, then was back on another hour, Donoghue said. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), However, this is a step toward healing of broken hearts and shattered lives.. Honken, who had been on death row since 2005, was pronounced dead at 4:36 p.m. He graduated from West Hancock High School in 1980 a record holder in pole vaulting who enjoyed being a junior high wrestling team member. Dustin Honken, an Iowa meth kingpin who kidnapped and killed five people to thwart his prosecution for drug trafficking in . Greg, Lori, and her daughters had all been shot at least once at close range, execution-style, in the back of the head. She was formally sentenced to death on December 19, 2005. It was to show love, supportand respect to my daughter's father, Terry," read the short letter, "that weloved him until the end and still do.". The shackles were fitted with a chain so Honken could move normally without the shackles making noise. Johnson, Honkens girlfriend, was convicted in a separate trial and sentenced to death. 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 . The two made hundreds of thousands of dollars from several drug runs. Ten-year-old Kandi and 6-year-old Amber were still in their swimsuits on the hot summer day when they were shot execution-style in the back of the head. Once he checked into the Holiday Inn, guards took him to restaurants in a special handicap rental van that cost $543.40. Outside the facility, protesters held press conferences, waved signs and live-tweeted every court development. He believed he would go to heaven. He never returned, and his body was found seven years later in a field outside Mason City in 2000. While awaiting trial, she met Robert Gene McNeese, a career criminal and informant who was serving a life sentence. 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. TERRE HAUTE, Ind. But days after the still-undiscovered killings of Nicholson and the Duncans, he told the court he would stick to his not guilty plea. [25][26], Ron McIntosh said Honken told him he killed the children since they "wouldn't be quiet, or wouldn't shut up." The family of Terry DeGeus, one of two government witnesses Honken was convicted of killing, said attending Friday's execution was the "least they could do. media-tech companies with hubs around the world. Law enforcement had enough evidence to believe Johnson had something to do with the murders, though Honken remained their suspected triggerman. Honken had recently learned Nicholson, a former drug-dealing associate, was cooperating with investigators and would likely testify against Honken at trial. We have real reasons to question whether or not this number now is complete either, Stubbs said. Honken, whose crimes struck at the foundation of the U.S. justice system, always seemed the least likely to win a reprieve from the courts. The executions were scheduled after the Department of Justice announced last year that it would carry out capital punishments again after a 17-year hiatus, sayingthat defendants convicted of the most heinous crimes should be subject to a sentence of death.. He compared the feeling of killing someone to a football game, saying, "Once you go a certain distance, there ain't no turning back. 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. After several minutes his breathing became more labored. Congressional Democrats have unveiled legislation this year to abolish the federal death penalty, a goal President-elect Joe Biden says he supports. hitType: 'event', When Scott Mueller drove to Indiana in July to see Daniel Lewis Lee die, he stayed at a Holiday Inn. [7] Cutkomp recorded Honken talking about his plans to kill witnesses and implicitly referenced killing witnesses in 1993. DeGeus body was found a few miles from the wooded area. Jim committed two bank robberies before getting caught and sent to federal prison. [28], In 2005, Johnson was found guilty of five counts of murder in furtherance of a continuing criminal enterprise. On the other hand, Greg and Lori were bound, gagged, and shot multiple times, including once in the head. The Bureau of Prisons said Dustin Honken, 52, was pronounced dead at 4:36 p.m. Honken took the adults out of the car, walked them into the woods, and executed them in front of a pre-dug shallow grave. [16], On June 2, 1997, Honken pleaded guilty to attempting to distribute meth and conspiring to manufacture and distribute meth. "[8] When Cutkomp asked Honken if killing people bothered him, he replied "Nope. As part of an agreement, she agreed to drop all of her appeals. 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". 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. "[19] Without the deduction, Honken faced 27 to 33.75 years in prison. McNeese gave the notes and map to the authorities, and the victims' bodies were recovered shortly after. He later threatened to lock her in the basement and wondered how long it would take for her to be found, and how deep someone would need to be buried for them not to be plowed up by farm machinery. She said goodbye to her friends in the evening. 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. Dustin eventually released his sister. [29], In June 2005, a federal jury condemned Johnson to death on four counts. The two started a romantic relationship and Johnson soon became pregnant with Honken's child. [33] Johnson is currently serving her sentence at FCI Waseca.