[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. 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. According to his attorneys, he recited a poem by a Jesuit priest in his final statement. Never. Iowa chemistry student-turned-meth kingpin is 3rd federal inmate He killed five people, including two young girls, in 1993. "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," Kupec said in a statement. I deeply regret the pain I caused to my daughter, who I love so very much. Dustin Lee Honken: Courts decline to delay lethal injection of Iowan Although Iowa abolished capital punishment in 1965, the crime was a federal case since it involved a continuing criminal enterprise. They took us anywhere we needed to go.. ga('ads.send', { 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. [7] He and Johnson passed notes through the food slot in his door about their lives in jail and their childhoods. Can we count on your support today? U.S. Executes Dustin Lee Honken, The Third Federal - The Appeal hitType: 'event', 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. 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. This page was last edited on 28 April 2023, at 10:41. The death row convict had said that his first, second and final meal request should speak for itself," according to WTHI. The man they killed today was a human being, who could have spent the rest of his days helping others and further redeeming himself. }) }); According to court documents, Angela bought a gun on July 7, 1993, and she and Dustin began hunting Greg down, with him divorcing his ex-wife and moving in with Lori and her children. 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. 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. I am deeply sorry. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), He graduated from West Hancock High School in 1980 a record holder in pole vaulting who enjoyed being a junior high wrestling team member. 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. Some were shut in their cells and others were forced to spend the night in the gym, where they couldnt see the witnesses or the condemned man entering the death chamber. NPR's Carrie Johnson contributed to this report. He worked for Holland Construction in Forest City and later drove a semi for Schmidt Trucking of Britt. During this time, he plotted to murder Cobeen, police officers, and chemists, and to destroy evidence against him. 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. Honken beat, shot, and buried DeGeus. 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.. [] Never dream about it. Federal government executes third inmate this week after 17-year hiatus Between 1986 and 1989, Honken was involved in a conversation which mentioned the possibility of killing his brother's business partner to collect a million dollar life insurance policy. Iowa meth kingpin Dustin Honken executed, third federal execution this 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. What they pay for on our side is the shipping of the body of our loved ones, the embalming, a suit for them to wear and the casket, said Lisa Brown, whose son Christopher Vialva was executed in September for killing two youth ministers. [27], During cross-examination, a defense attorney questioned why someone like Honken would confide in "a couple of crackheads who steal hogs" for a living. 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. Ive made a lot of mistakes in my life, but Im not a murderer. 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. Other security measures included fitting Honken with a stun belt under his clothes to prevent him from trying to escape. 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. Then she learned that her Jewish congregation and her sons friends had pooled donations to pay for her gas and hotel room. }); Iowa meth kingpin is 3rd executed by US government this week 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. 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.". Soon, he would meet Angela Johnson, a woman who shared his ruthless worldview. He reportedly did not understand that there wouldnt be any later, according to Kansascity.com. However, what he ultimately ate may remain a mystery. Dustin Honken is up for execution for the murder of five . Never think about it. 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. [] Thought I'd have nightmares. 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. She was utterly devoted to her two daughters Kandace D. Duncan and Amber J. Duncan her family and hometown. Angela Johnson: Where is Dustin Lee Honkens Girlfriend Now. It further cemented the idea that Lori and her children might have planned for a hasty getaway. Dustin Honken, 52, would become the first Iowa defendant to be put to death since 1963 if he is executed as scheduled on Friday. His last words were, "Holy Mary, mother of God . },false) if(document.querySelector("#adunit")){ Over the years he grew incredibly close to his family, becoming a true father, son, brother and friend. [9], Johnson was born in Forest City, Iowa. "I didn't kill anyone and even though that hasn't been proven, the accusations have repeatedly been used against me. Honken had a healthy relationship with his stepfather.[6]. Dustin Honken, 37, became the first person sentenced to death in Iowa in more than 40 years. Honkens lawyer, Shawn Nolan, said his client was redeemed and had repented for his crimes. gads_event = event; We believe that he was ready to take violent actions again. He also pointed to Honken's youth, saying, "The court needs to consider his age. Honken was considered so dangerous that the judge took the rare step of impaneling an anonymous jury. 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. 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. His biological father, Jim Honken, allegedly beat him, was an alcoholic, and served time in federal prison after committing multiple bank robberies. No state would commit the resources I did to the defense of a death Maurice Chammah Two others were also put to death during the week after a hiatus of nearly 20 years, including Wesley Purkey. window.googletag.cmd.push(function() { BRITT, Iowa The federal government has been given the green light to resume executions following a justice department study of the death penalty. 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. Whoopi Goldberg interrupts 'The View' live segment, raises her voice and hits co-host, Demi Moore has not left Bruce Willis's side and is doing everything to make his 'last moments happy', 'Liza took a final breath and sighed': Liza Burke, 21, dies 6 weeks after stage 4 cancer diagnosis, Baywatch star Jeremy Jacksons ex-wife Loni Willison spotted looking for food in LA waste, 'Go for a size bigger': Honey Boo Boo slammed for flaunting 'tight' prom dress with boyfriend Dralin Carswell. The agency refused to answer any questions about the money, procedures or details of what happened. In 2004, Dustin Lee Honken was convicted on federal charges in execution-style slayings of five people in Iowa. } "I have desired to go, Where springs not fail, To fields where flies no sharp and sided hail, And a few lilies blow. For Stubbs and the ACLU, the bureaus lack of forthrightness suggests there are still more costs it hasnt revealed. The day of Lees execution, Mueller and the other witnesses arrived at the prison in the afternoon. On another occasion, Honken tried to drown Alyssa in a hotel pool. With no witnesses, the government dropped their drug case in 1995 and Honken went back to making meth. 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. Federal Government Executes 1st Prisoner In 17 Years After Overnight Court Rulings, Federal Government Executes 2nd Man After Supreme Court Denies Appeals. } Honken had physically and verbally abused his sister, Alyssa. He is scheduled to be executed on Friday, July 17. Dustin Honken, who killed 5 people in 1993 to be executed - KARE Dustin was a chemistry wizard during his community college days in the early 90's. [8], In the fall of 1995, Honken recruited a man named Dan Cobeen to help him manufacture meth. A Dispatch From Federal Death Row | The Marshall Project 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. 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 Lee Honken | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers eventAction: 'load' He also decided to switch to meth. The EKG would probably be to tell when hes died. Honken had a notably healthy relationship with his mother, who he described as perfect. The two used a blowtorch to cut and melt the gun into multiple pieces, which they discarded in ditches along a country road. Dustin Honken Executed: Third Federal Government Execution This Week He believed he would go to heaven. I'm sorry, but that ain't no choice. Honken, who had been on death row since 2005, was pronounced dead at 4:36 p.m. reporters on a platform technologically tailored to meet the needs of the modern reader. He faced a minimum of 10 years in prison. I was totally amazed, she said. Dustin switched to methamphetamine, enlisting the help of his best friend, Tim Cutkomp, and moved to Arizona to set up his drug empire. Iowa abolished the death penalty in 1965, but Honken was convicted in federal court becausehe killed government witnesses, interfering with a federal case. [25][26], Ron McIntosh said Honken told him he killed the children since they "wouldn't be quiet, or wouldn't shut up." Here's why it probably isn't coming back. He and Lori Duncan were bound and gagged and shot multiple times. "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. ", Honken then said "Hail Mary, Mother of God, pray for me." Her lawyer said she was extremely relieved and grateful upon hearing of the decision. [28], In 2005, Johnson was found guilty of five counts of murder in furtherance of a continuing criminal enterprise. But as Honken'soperation grew, so too did his dependence on meth and his singular focus on success no matter the cost. [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. Moreover, Terry informed his mother that he was meeting his former girlfriend, Angela Johnson. [5] Cutkomp wore a wire while he was around Honken during their time on pretrial release. 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. 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. Justice Department Executes Dustin Honken, 3rd U.S. Execution In - NPR 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 . Johnson was originally sentenced to death for her part in the crime but had her sentence reduced to life in prison. However, this is a step toward healing of broken hearts and shattered lives.. The death penalty is in flux. Dustin Honken, 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.. 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. Honken and the other three plaintiffs in the case argued that the use of pentobarbital could violate the Federal Death Penalty Act of 1994. I realize I am here because of my own actions. Honken's mom wants his children to have a father - Sioux City Journal [] 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. 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 took the adults out of the car, walked them into the woods, and executed them in front of a pre-dug shallow grave. Honken's execution was the last one in this weeklong spree. As the investigation into Honken continued, he killed another drug dealer working with him, Terry DeGeus, beating him with a bat and shooting him. Once he checked into the Holiday Inn, guards took him to restaurants in a special handicap rental van that cost $543.40. Honken and Cutkomp were promptly arrested on federal drug-trafficking charges. He plotted to murder Cutkomp and gave a fellow inmate directions to Cutkomp's house. They recruited two drug dealers Terry DeGeus and Greg Nicholson to sell their meth in northeast Iowa. 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 following a 17 . "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. 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. During her sentencing hearing, Johnson continued to blame Honken, but said "I regret I wasn't strong enough. 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. }); 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. Honken and Cutkomp were indicted on federal drug trafficking charges. In jail, Johnson made friends with Robert Bobby Gene McNeese, a career criminal doing a life sentence who was a prolific snitch. His execution is fast approaching and he is scheduled to die on July 17th at a prison in Terre Haute, Indiana. On November 5, 1993, he dropped off his daughter, Ashley DeGeus-Henken, then 10, at his mothers home and told her he would come to pick the child up shortly afterward. [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. }); Dustin earned a scholarship to North Iowa Area Community College in 1991 and had initially planned to become a pharmaceutical lawyer. Honken, the 35, was later convicted in the . }); Subscribe today at DesMoinesRegister.com/Deal. Marges other grandchild, Amber, 6, was inside the house. On the other hand, Greg and Lori were bound, gagged, and shot multiple times, including once in the head. He compared the feeling of killing someone to a football game, saying, "Once you go a certain distance, there ain't no turning back. The two ended their relationship shortly after Nicholson's arrest. Honken was tried first, with his trial starting in October 2004. Dustin Honken third person executed by federal government this week Johnson discussed the murders in detail, which McNeese secretly recorded. 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. "[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. 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. She is the organization's first formerly incarcerated reporter. Jim once convinced his son to steal and copy a key to a bank. 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. He added: "There was no reason for the government to kill him, in haste or at all. ET Friday. Your subscription makes work like this possible. He then came back for the children and shot them, too. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Dustin Honken execution: The trail of crime that put Iowan on death row 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. Dustin Honken was convicted of killing a family . It will bring a sense of closure, but we will continue to live with their loss. An execution date of January 15, 2020, was set for Honken. 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 Catholic priest, Honkens spiritual adviser, stood near him inside the death chamber. document.querySelector("#ads").addEventListener('click',function(){
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