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. Never nothing. 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. is a former staff writer whose work focuses on prisons and jails. Families for two of Honken's victims provided public statements, differing in tone and length, but each rife with emotion. During her sentencing hearing, Johnson continued to blame Honken, but said "I regret I wasn't strong enough. [16], On June 2, 1997, Honken pleaded guilty to attempting to distribute meth and conspiring to manufacture and distribute meth. Iowa-licensed. A statement from the Department of Justice echoed the Duncans' sentiment that due process had been seen through. When the time of death was announced, Honken, 52, became the first Iowan in more than 50 years to be put to death in an Iowa case. The drapes were drawn, and cars near the house were parked chaotically, which was uncharacteristic of her daughter. The shackles were fitted with a chain so Honken could move normally without the shackles making noise. She was visiting Wildwood, New Jersey, on Memorial Day Weekend with friends in 1990. The death row convict had said that his first, second and final meal request should speak for itself," according to WTHI. if(document.querySelector("#ads")){ Iowa abolished the death penalty in 1965, but Honken was convicted in federal court becausehe killed government witnesses, interfering with a federal case. 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. While awaiting trial, she met Robert Gene McNeese, a career criminal and informant who was serving a life sentence. I am deeply sorry. Dustin eventually released his sister. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette via AP, File), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. The government is doing so much of this in the dark, so we dont always get to see the full weight of what its up to, said Cassy Stubbs, director of the ACLUs Capital Punishment Project. Keri Blakinger They recruited two drug dealers Terry DeGeus and Greg Nicholson to sell their meth in northeast Iowa. 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. if(document.querySelector("#google_image_div")){ 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.. Dustin Honken, an Iowa meth kingpin who kidnapped and killed five people to thwart his prosecution for drug trafficking in . After a two-month-long trial, the jury found him guilty on all 17 counts. His last words were, Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for me.. The clock is ticking: Execution date approaching for convicted - KWWL In 2005, Tokars stopped an attempted escape by Honken, in which he plotted to escape with the help of white supremacists and murder witnesses. 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. . This is an intelligent young man." Honken received the maximum sentence. Iowa meth kingpin is 3rd executed by U.S. government this week [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. But unlike the two executed earlier this week, Honken lacked headline-grabbing mitigating circumstances. Even if I'm in prison for [] 15 years, whatever. [7], Honken was released on bond and searched for Nicholson's whereabouts. Honken was pronounced dead after 30 minutes longer than the other two executions. Two others were also put to death during the week after a hiatus of nearly 20 years, including Wesley Purkey. Like, you need that? Dustin Honken, a nerd turned drug kingpin, will become the only Iowan since 1963 to have the death sentence an Iowa jury imposed seen through on Friday, July 17, 2020. He said Honken was "a young man infatuated with drug manufacturing, basically a nerd.[7]. pg.acq.push(function() { He didnt look toward witnesses behind a glass barrier, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the ceiling. Prison officials stated that Purkey owing to his mental illness lacked in understanding and put aside the pecan pie in his last meal for later. Real life Breaking Bad killer Dustin Honken, who went from - The Sun ", "The reason for us being present today was not to watch a man die. document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ This sanitized murder really does not serve no purpose whatsoever.". },false) Her lawyer said she was extremely relieved and grateful upon hearing of the decision. } During this time, he plotted to murder Cobeen, police officers, and chemists, and to destroy evidence against him. They took us anywhere we needed to go.. Let the Lord Sort Them: The Rise and Fall of the Death Penalty. hitType: 'event', Honken had recently learned Nicholson, a former drug-dealing associate, was cooperating with investigators and would likely testify against Honken at trial. The two used a blowtorch to cut and melt the gun into multiple pieces, which they discarded in ditches along a country road. 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. [5] Cutkomp wore a wire while he was around Honken during their time on pretrial release. The victims' family is expected to provide a written statement to the public at some point soon. Among them were many of the inmates to whom Honken had confessed, including Fred Tokars. 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. [19], A judge initially barred McNeese from testifying against Johnson during her trial on the grounds that he was acting as a federal agent. [21], While in prison, Honken made plans to escape, and then murder witnesses, law enforcement officers, and the federal prosecutor. Around seven years later, the police found the Duncan family and Gregs bodies buried in a single hole, which was located in a wooded area outside Mason City in 2000. During the summer of 2020, Dustin Honken 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. 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.. 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. Lee remained strapped on a gurney for four hours after midnight as the Trump administration sought to lift a court-ordered stay on his death sentence. Dennis Putzier said Honken had bragged about murdering witnesses in 1993. Honken's mom wants his children to have a father - Sioux City Journal hitType: 'event', "I didn't kill anyone and even though that hasn't been proven, the accusations have repeatedly been used against me. He graduated from West Hancock High School in 1980 a record holder in pole vaulting who enjoyed being a junior high wrestling team member. At his sentencing in 2005, Honken recognized the victims families had suffered a senseless destruction of human life in losing their loved ones, but also declared that their vengeance toward me is misguided.. Timeline of events in the Dustin Honken case, infamous Iowa killer Dustin Lee Honken was born in Britt, Iowa, on March 22, 1968, and suffered from an abusive childhood. 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. Dustin Lee Honken was formally sentenced to death on October 11, 2005. MEAWW brings you the best content from its global team of A closer look Dustin Honken : r/Jodi_Huisentruit_Case - Reddit document.querySelector("#ads").addEventListener('click',function(){ ga('ads.send', { The government paid for snacks, drinks and pizza. Email Susan Negersmith was a 20 year-old woman from Carmel, New York. Honken, who had the look of a classic 1980s nerd and the smarts to back up the appearance, was talented in math and science, but was an eloquent writer, too. Dustin Honken, 37, became the first person sentenced to death in Iowa in more than 40 years. 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 . 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. Honken told Cutkomp that he was worried about DeGeus turning on him. So, who were Dustins victims, and what happened to the drug kingpin? eventAction: 'load' However, what he ultimately ate may remain a mystery. The two eventually located Nicholson. [7], McNeese got Johnson to confess to the murders by claiming he could find another inmate who could take the blame. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Congressional Democrats have unveiled legislation this year to abolish the federal death penalty, a goal President-elect Joe Biden says he supports. 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. ga('ads.send', { Honken an Iowa meth kingpin who kidnapped and killed five people, including two young girls, to thwart his prosecution for drug trafficking in 1993 is set to become the third federal inmate to be executed this week. 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. The murders took place in Iowa in July and November 1993. Never. [8], The defense did not have Rickert take the stand out of the fear that she might conclude Honken was a sociopath or had narcissistic personality disorder. Here's why it probably isn't coming back. In 1984, Honken plotted a bank robbery in which the person he would convince to commit the robbery for him would then be killed and thrown into a pond. Johnson was originally sentenced to death for her part in the crime but had her sentence reduced to life in prison. Courtney Crowder, the Register's Iowa Columnist, traverses the state's 99 counties telling Iowans' stories. Follow her on Twitter @courtneycare. (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 .) Keith Dwayne Nelson, who kidnapped and raped a 10-year-old girl, is scheduled to be executed Aug. 28. 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 [] Honken's execution was the last one in this weeklong spree. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Anytime we needed anything, we were supposed to ask them, he said. [32] In December 2014, federal prosecutors later announced they would not pursue a second death sentence for Johnson. }); 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. This page was last edited on 28 April 2023, at 10:41. Its weirdly laughable. With no witnesses, the government dropped their drug case in 1995 and Honken went back to making meth. 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. Upon appeal, Angela Johnson's death sentence was reduced to life in prison. Who Were Dustin Lee Honken's Victims? How Did He Die? Later, when the authorities learned Dustin had changed his plea and Greg was missing, they wanted Terry to become an informant. 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. reporters on a platform technologically tailored to meet the needs of the modern reader. Iowa meth kingpin Dustin Honken executed, third federal execution this Powered by WordPress.com VIP. From meth to murder: How a small-town Iowa boy became the state's first death row inmate in 50 years, Timeline of events in the infamous 1993 Iowa murders, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 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. In 1990, Honken raped and threatened his girlfriend. Johnson discussed the murders in detail, which McNeese secretly recorded. It will bring a sense of closure, but we will continue to live with their loss. 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. Honken was sentenced to death and executed by the federal government on July 17, 2020,[4] the first defendant from Iowa to be executed since 1963. 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. "[30] She called him a "sociopath who will never admit to what he has done. 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. [9], Johnson was born in Forest City, Iowa. A $6,300 Bus. A $33 Last Meal. What New Documents Tell Us About Trump's On another occasion, Honken tried to drown Alyssa in a hotel pool. Circuit vacated District Judge Chutkan's injunction in a per curiam decision. 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. He then did the same to the children. [8], In the fall of 1995, Honken recruited a man named Dan Cobeen to help him manufacture meth. They found no signs of a struggle inside no blood or furniture in disarray except for an unfinished dinner on the kitchen table. 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. ga('ads.send', { Although Iowa abolished capital punishment in 1965, the crime was a federal case since it involved a continuing criminal enterprise. At the time of his death, Honken had served more than 22 years in an Indiana prison. Dustin earned a scholarship to North Iowa Area Community College in 1991 and had initially planned to become a pharmaceutical lawyer. Never think about it. Honken has rarely spoken publicly since his sentencing, but until Friday's statement from his lawyer maintainedhis innocence. After officials began administering the lethal injection, Honken began blinking his eyes, his fingers twitching and his lips quivering. With the central veins you cant see or feel them, so you have to know the anatomy or use an ultrasound, said Dr. Joel Zivot, a lethal injection expert and intensive care doctor at Emory University who did not attend the execution but reviewed the documents later. [28], In 2005, Johnson was found guilty of five counts of murder in furtherance of a continuing criminal enterprise. media-tech companies with hubs around the world. She is the organization's first formerly incarcerated reporter. Honken had physically and verbally abused his sister, Alyssa. The two started a romantic relationship and Johnson soon became pregnant with Honken's child. For his last words, he turned to the writings of a Jesuit priest, Gerard Manley Hopkins, reciting lines from the poem Heaven-Haven. "It sickens me to know what happened, she said, even more so not to tell anyone.. Dustin was a chemistry wizard during his community college days in the early 90's. However, she panicked when she drove by Loris apartment the following day, on July 26. However, he and Tim were arrested on federal drug trafficking charges in March 1993. And there are some potentially larger expenses, like whatever might be included in the 28 pages of records officials admitted to withholding. He was formally sentenced to death on October 11, 2005. Email In any case, they failed. Dustin Honken, 52, would become the first Iowa defendant to be put to death since 1963 if he is executed as scheduled on Friday. [8], On November 5, 1993, DeGeus also disappeared. He is ready to meet his maker.. Upon learning that Nicholson had disappeared, the government turned to Honken's former dealer, DeGeus. He also pointed to Honken's youth, saying, "The court needs to consider his age. }); On one of his drug runs, Honken met Angela Johnson, who was then dating DeGeus. "For years now, the government has made these terrible accusations against me," he said. Two others were also put to death during the week after a hiatus of nearly 20 years, including Wesley Purkey. "[8] When Cutkomp asked Honken if killing people bothered him, he replied "Nope. Justice Department Executes Dustin Honken, 3rd U.S. Execution In - NPR 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. [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. 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. Outside the facility, protesters held press conferences, waved signs and live-tweeted every court development. She described Honken as a meth kingpin, who in 1993, "kidnapped, fatally shot, and buried Lori Duncan, a single, working mother, Duncan's two young daughters 10-year-old Kandi and 6-year-old Amber and Greg Nicholson, a government informant who testified against Honken on federal drug trafficking charges.". Even as it paid for tents and memory cards and planes and pizza, the agencys largesse did not extend to the families of the condemned, who had to pay for their own travel and accommodations. Iowa abolished the death penalty in 1965, but federal. BRITT, Iowa The federal government has been given the green light to resume executions following a justice department study of the death penalty. 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. 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}} He reportedly wanted three last meals before his execution.
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