The two used a blowtorch to cut and melt the gun into multiple pieces, which they discarded in ditches along a country road. Honken, who was known as "Iowa's Walter White", murdered government informants and two children days before he was set to enter a plea for drug charges in 1993. It amounted to a small fraction of the more than $107,000 the agency spent on hotels for the witnesses and staff who flocked to western Indiana last summer for the federal governments first executions in nearly two decades. SIOUX CITY Dustin Honken and Angela Johnson strangled two little girls to keep them quiet after the pair now charged with five murders killed the girls' mother and her . He was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release and fined $1,100. And there are some potentially larger expenses, like whatever might be included in the 28 pages of records officials admitted to withholding. 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. Knowing that youre behind us means so much. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), 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. ga('create', 'UA-67136960-15', 'auto', 'ads'); Her memoir, "Corrections in Ink", came out in June 2022. Honken had a healthy relationship with his stepfather.[6]. Meth didnt enter the picture until 1991, after he had completed a year of community college chemistry, earning an A- average. None of those sorts of funeral expenses are noted in records for the July and August executions provided to the ACLU. The folding table to register them cost $47.98 at Lowes. Never. The night before his disappearance, he dropped his 10-year-old daughter off at his mother's house and said he was going to meet Johnson. Terry was lying face down in a shallow hole with a severely fragmented skull, having been shot one or more times. I am deeply sorry. [7], On July 30, 1993, Honken gave his attorney the recording and said he was changing his plea. hitType: 'event', "For years now, the government has made these terrible accusations against me," he said. But authoritiesneeded five things before they could begin to prove their case: the bodies. [7], Honken enlisted his best friend, Tim Cutkomp, moved to Arizona, and borrowed $5,000 from his brother to buy chemicals and equipment. She was formally sentenced to death on December 19, 2005. ", Honken then said "Hail Mary, Mother of God, pray for me." His fingers gradually stopped twitching, and his breathing became shallower until it stopped. 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.. Dennis Putzier said Honken had bragged about murdering witnesses in 1993. 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. A statement from the Department of Justice echoed the Duncans' sentiment that due process had been seen through. 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. Justice Department Executes Dustin Honken, 3rd U.S. Execution In - NPR While awaiting trial, she met Robert Gene McNeese, a career criminal and informant who was serving a life 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. . She was utterly devoted to her two daughters Kandace D. Duncan and Amber J. Duncan her family and hometown. A statement from the Duncan family said the execution provided a degree of justice and closure to the family. [9], Johnson was born in Forest City, Iowa. The Bureau of Prisons refused to comment on the payment records or to answer questions about the operations outlined in the documents. Her lawyer said she was extremely relieved and grateful upon hearing of the decision. DeGeus body was found a few miles from the wooded area. 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. Sep 25, 2004. Kandi and Amber each had a single bullet wound in the back of their heads. Prisoner Dustin Honken is scheduled to be put to death on Friday, July 17. pg.acq.push(function() { Yet Donoghue, of the Sisters of Providence just outside Terre Haute, said she was startled by how calm Honken sounded over the phone. 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. Department of. Honken had threatened Nicholson in the past, saying he could order a hit on him or anyone else if he wanted. I was totally amazed, she said. "Finally justice is being done. I'm sorry, but that ain't no choice. Honkens lawyer, Shawn Nolan, said his client was redeemed and had repented for his crimes. The murders took place in Iowa in July and November 1993. 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. 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. He never returned, and his body was found seven years later in a field outside Mason City in 2000. Here's why it probably isn't coming back. 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. document.querySelector("#ads").addEventListener('click',function(){ BRITT, Iowa The federal government has been given the green light to resume executions following a justice department study of the death penalty. [3] Johnson was also sentenced to death, the first woman sentenced to death by a United States federal jury since the 1950s, but the sentence was overturned in 2012,[5] and she was resentenced to life without parole in 2014. [6], Honken, who was proficient in math, science, and writing, earned a scholarship to North Iowa Area Community College in 1991. However, the plot was discovered and stopped by guards. [7] Cutkomp recorded Honken talking about his plans to kill witnesses and implicitly referenced killing witnesses in 1993. },false) hitType: 'event', Later that month, she was re-sentenced to life in prison without parole. Honken beat, shot, and buried DeGeus. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { Then she learned that her Jewish congregation and her sons friends had pooled donations to pay for her gas and hotel room. Honken, who had been on death row since 2005, was pronounced dead at 4:36 p.m. 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. 'Stop it!' 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. He once held a pillow over Alyssa's face after she told one of his girlfriends that he had other girlfriends. Notifications can be turned off anytime from browser settings. He reportedly did not understand that there wouldnt be any later, according to Kansascity.com. Their primary target that day was Lori Duncans then-boyfriend, Greg Nicholson, who also lived at the home and was also killed. [] Never dream about it. Dustin Honken, 52, would become the first defendant in an Iowa case to be put to death since 1963 if he is executed as scheduled on Friday. An execution date of January 15, 2020, was set for Honken. He wore a wire to a meeting and recorded Honken making a future $3,000 deal. Dustin eventually released his sister. 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. In jail, Johnson made friends with Robert Bobby Gene McNeese, a career criminal doing a life sentence who was a prolific snitch. gads_event = event; Bumming around before starting at North Iowa, Honken fell into selling marijuana and cocaine, quickly building a list of customers who paid thousands for their fix. But nearly seven years after five people went missing, including witnesses scheduled to testify against Honken regarding his meth operation, a mobbed-up jailhouse informant would lead investigators to the victims bodies and a murder plot would unravel. 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. They discovered him staying at the home of a friend, Lori Duncan, a single mother with two children, Amber, 6, and Kandi, 10. So, who were Dustins victims, and what happened to the drug kingpin? These are the stories that you need to know about capital punishment's past, as well as its uncertain future. (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. Ive made a lot of mistakes in my life, but Im not a murderer. The guards told him theyd come in from out-of-state, he said, and records show the bureau spent roughly $3.1 million on unidentified costs associated with the staff it brought in from more than two dozen prisons across the country. And there are some potentially larger expenses, like whatever might be included in the 28 pages of records officials admitted to withholding. ga('ads.send', { [] 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. May he rest in peace.". 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. I realize I am here because of my own actions. 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.. His then-wife, Leslie Olson, said he prevented her from going outside or staying near windows for very long. 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. [7], In March 1993, Honken and Cutkomp were arrested on federal drug trafficking charges. 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. But the authorities could not find the bodies to prove they had been murdered. Families for two of Honken's victims provided public statements, differing in tone and length, but each rife with emotion. Circuit vacated District Judge Chutkan's injunction in a per curiam decision. We believe that he was ready to take violent actions again. He was pronounced dead at 3:36p.m. "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. Its unclear what that training involved, but records show it cost thousands of dollars. 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. Over the years he grew incredibly close to his family, becoming a true father, son, brother and friend. Iowa killer Dustin Lee Honken faces execution | The Gazette Execution for Iowa mass killer Dustin Honken on hold "[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. Keith Dwayne Nelson, who kidnapped and raped a 10-year-old girl, is scheduled to be executed Aug. 28. The man they killed today was a human being, who could have spent the rest of his days helping others and further redeeming himself. [5] On November 20, 2019, U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan issued a preliminary injunction preventing the resumption of federal executions. But he soon startedselling marijuana and cocaine anddecided to become both a drug manufacturer and a dealer with his knowledge of chemistry. Email She could not breathe and swallowed water. }); 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. Iowa outlawed the death penalty 55 years ago. 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. 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. [24] Tokars testified that Honken described strangling Lori Duncan and Greg Nicholson, and killed the children since "they could have been witnesses." hitType: 'event', The death penalty is in flux. Marge and her husband drove by later and let themselves in after feeling convinced something was wrong. 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 . Honken had recently learned Nicholson, a former drug-dealing associate, was cooperating with investigators and would likely testify against Honken at trial. The governments approach still stung months later: We feel that they go out of their way to not accommodate us.. A former Fulbright and H.F. Guggenheim fellow, he has reported on a range of criminal justice subjects, including jail conditions, sheriffs, wrongful convictions, and art by incarcerated people. However, this decision was overturned since the government had never asked McNeese to cooperate in the case against Johnson. A Catholic priest, Honkens spiritual adviser, stood near him inside the death chamber. let gads_event; Twitter Follow her on Twitter @courtneycare. He added: "There was no reason for the government to kill him, in haste or at all. Honken grew up in Britt, Iowa. 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. At the time of his death, Honken had served more than 22 years in an Indiana prison. She told the jury how her 31-year-old daughter waved and smiled at her, and she also saw one of her granddaughters, 10-year-old Kandace, AKA Kandi, clad in her prized sundress. ", "The reason for us being present today was not to watch a man die. In 1990, Honken raped and threatened his girlfriend. Dustin Honken, an Iowa meth kingpin who kidnapped and killed five people to thwart his prosecution for drug trafficking in . eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), 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. [] Thought I'd have nightmares. 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.". 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. However, under federal law, he was bound to the jury's verdict. For Stubbs and the ACLU, the bureaus lack of forthrightness suggests there are still more costs it hasnt revealed. }); Can we count on your support today? window.googletag.cmd.push(function() { (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. The two eventually located Nicholson. 'I'm Still Processing it,' Daughter of Honken Victim Speaks Out After [28], In 2005, Johnson was found guilty of five counts of murder in furtherance of a continuing criminal enterprise. Terry Scott DeGeus was born to Edward and JoAnn DeGeus in Charles City in Floyd County, Iowa, on November 19, 1960.
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