hitType: 'event', Among them were many of the inmates to whom Honken had confessed, including Fred Tokars. The two made hundreds of thousands of dollars from several drug runs. BRITT, Iowa The federal government has been given the green light to resume executions following a justice department study of the death penalty. 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. Execution for Iowa mass killer Dustin Honken on hold But what Honken didnt know in early 1993 was that Nicholson had decided to cooperate with federal investigators, wearing a wire toa meet and recordingHonken makinga $3,000 deal for a future meth pickup. On one of his drug runs, Honken met Angela Johnson, who was then dating DeGeus. 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.". Investigators were sure Honken was involved with the earlier missing people;the coincidences were too great, but they were no closer to finding the bodies. And there are some potentially larger expenses, like whatever might be included in the 28 pages of records officials admitted to withholding. He had been found guilty of murdering five people, including two. Its unclear what that training involved, but records show it cost thousands of dollars. Honken's mom wants his children to have a father - Sioux City Journal He then did the same to the children. They found no signs of a struggle inside no blood or furniture in disarray except for an unfinished dinner on the kitchen table. Anytime we needed anything, we were supposed to ask them, he said. "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. 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. Terrys hobbies included playing pool, hanging out with his friends, and spending quality time with his children. Timeline of events in the Dustin Honken case, infamous Iowa killer She was formally sentenced to death on December 19, 2005. [21], While in prison, Honken made plans to escape, and then murder witnesses, law enforcement officers, and the federal prosecutor. After convincing Honken, then a recent high school graduate, to steal and copy the key to a local bank, his father robbed it. The spending records from July and August offer glimpses of not only the cost but the logistics of how the government puts prisoners to death. He had a rare right-left brain combination that made him attractive enough to land a scholarship to North Iowa Area Community College in the early 1990s. We believe that he was ready to take violent actions again. Yet Donoghue, of the Sisters of Providence just outside Terre Haute, said she was startled by how calm Honken sounded over the phone. The inmate known for his verbosity at hearings and for a rambling statement declaring his innocence at sentencing spoke only briefly, neither addressing victims family members nor saying he was sorry. 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. U.S. Executes Dustin Lee Honken, The Third Federal - The Appeal [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. Iowa Drug Kingpin Who Killed 5 Is Executed - VOA [29], In June 2005, a federal jury condemned Johnson to death on four counts. Even if I'm in prison for [] 15 years, whatever. The EKG would probably be to tell when hes died. He was formally sentenced to death on October 11, 2005. I deeply regret the pain I caused to my daughter, who I love so very much. He then came back for the children and shot them, too. 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. The death penalty is in flux. While studying legal documents, Dustin learned Greg had become an informant after being caught with almost 150 grams of pure meth inside his apartment. [6][10] Honken's defense presented testimony from his family, and pointed to his age and lack of prior violent convictions as mitigating factors. DeGeus body was found a few miles from the wooded area. The Bureau of Prisons refused to comment on the payment records or to answer questions about the operations outlined in the documents. Can we count on your support today? Let the Lord Sort Them: The Rise and Fall of the Death Penalty. 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. 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.. pg.acq.push(function() { [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. 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. [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. PDF 100 moments - Iowa Department of Public Safety document.querySelector("#ads").addEventListener('click',function(){ As part of an agreement, she agreed to drop all of her appeals. He worked for Holland Construction in Forest City and later drove a semi for Schmidt Trucking of Britt. By 1992, their multi-state ring was netting hundreds of thousands of dollars. When Cutkomp expressed concern over the murders, Honken said Cobeen forced his hand: "They made me choose between my family and them. 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. pg.acq.push(function() { eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Honken beat, shot, and buried DeGeus. Dustin earned a scholarship to North Iowa Area Community College in 1991 and had initially planned to become a pharmaceutical lawyer. Lets find out. The day of Lees execution, Mueller and the other witnesses arrived at the prison in the afternoon. His biological father, Jim Honken, allegedly beat him, was an alcoholic, and served time in federal prison after committing multiple bank robberies. 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. But his lawyer, Shawn Nolan, countered, saying that Honken had been "redeemed" and that he "recognized and repented for the crimes he had committed. Twitter [37][38], While in prison, Honken converted to Catholicism. But authoritiesneeded five things before they could begin to prove their case: the bodies. if(document.querySelector("#google_image_div")){ Their attraction was mutual, and she would shortly dump her current boyfriend, Honkens dealer,DeGeus, for the boss. A statement from the Department of Justice echoed the Duncans' sentiment that due process had been seen through. 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. 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. 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. Soon, he would meet Angela Johnson, a woman who shared his ruthless worldview. Dustin eventually released his sister. eventAction: 'view' The portable restrooms cost $1,605. ga('ads.send', { A statement from the Duncan family said the execution provided a degree of justice and closure to the family. More: Timeline of events in the infamous 1993 Iowa murders. Honken received the maximum sentence. 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. Johnson's defense team pointed to her dysfunctional upbringing and argued that she did not know Honken was going to kill the victims. Dustin was a chemistry wizard during his community college days in the early 90's. Lori Ann Milbrath Duncan was born to Marge Milbrath in Mason City in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, on November 22, 1961. 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. The prison food during executions cost more than $77,000 over the course of the summer. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), I wish there was some way to go back and start over, but obviously there isn't. [19], In 2000, Johnson's friend, Christi Gaubatz, decided to talk to the police. 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. 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. "For years now, the government has made these terrible accusations against me," he said. This sanitized murder really does not serve no purpose whatsoever.". 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. "They are people who have no future," referring to the inmates. [8], Cutkomp decided to become an informant. 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. Then she learned that her Jewish congregation and her sons friends had pooled donations to pay for her gas and hotel room. [2] Honken and Johnson were in a relationship at the time of the murders, and Johnson, who had a child from a previous marriage, was pregnant by Honken. His lawyers pointed to the lack of physical evidence linking him to the murders. Donations from readers like you are essential to sustaining this work. "I didn't kill anyone and even though that hasn't been proven, the accusations have repeatedly been used against me. His then-wife, Leslie Olson, said he prevented her from going outside or staying near windows for very long. 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. Honken is set to die by a lethal. [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. }); }) During the summer of 2020, Dustin Honken Brown said that in order to visit her son and witness his execution, she took out a loan. [3] A few months later, the fifth victim, also a former dealer, was murdered.[3]. Honken's execution was the last one in this weeklong spree. Attorney General William Barr relaunched executions this week for the first time since 2003. After inadvertently learning that Nicholson had turned states witness, Honken and Johnson set out to find him and force him to recant his statements. TERRE HAUTE, Ind. CST. It further cemented the idea that Lori and her children might have planned for a hasty getaway. There are some small expenses that appear to be absent, such as last meals for three of the prisoners. ga('ads.send', { 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. Its weirdly laughable. hitType: 'event', 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. Upon appeal, Angela Johnson's death sentence was reduced to life in prison. 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. 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. Without any witnesses, the government was forced to drop its case against Honken. Your subscription makes work like this possible. ga('ads.send', { 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 . Two others were also put to death during the week after a hiatus of nearly 20 years, including Wesley Purkey. }); Youre killing an innocent man, He had said. Iowa outlawed the death penalty 55 years ago. },false) They drove the hostages to a wooded area outside the city and shot them execution-style. Dustin Honken, convicted of killing five people, will be executed July 17, 2020. Dustin Honken, Iowa born and bred, inmate #06951-029, was executed in July at the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Ind. The two young Duncan girls never had a chance to grow up and share in the joys and sorrows of their life, it said. Email He never returned, and his body was found seven years later in a field outside Mason City in 2000. In 1990, Honken raped and threatened his girlfriend. 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. As a result, Honken and Johnson were federally charged with all five murders. Over the years he grew incredibly close to his family, becoming a true father, son, brother and friend. Honken and Cutkomp were indicted on federal drug trafficking charges. Prisoner Dustin Honken is scheduled to be put to death on Friday, July 17. Email He was very upset with the way Danny died, said Donoghue, who visited Honken regularly over the past decade. [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. 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. (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. "[20], Bennett resentenced Honken to 27 years in prison, saying the minimum sentence was sufficiently harsh. Law enforcement had enough evidence to believe Johnson had something to do with the murders, though Honken remained their suspected triggerman. Just go in and check him., Its not clear how much the agency paid for lethal drugs themselves, a few grams of pentobarbital, and its not clear whats buried in the redacted expenditures marked confidential.. [7], Honken enlisted his best friend, Tim Cutkomp, moved to Arizona, and borrowed $5,000 from his brother to buy chemicals and equipment. [5] On November 20, 2019, U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan issued a preliminary injunction preventing the resumption of federal executions. He believed he would go to heaven. Gerard Manley Hopkins' poem, "Heaven-Haven,". Dustin Lee Honken is led Aug. 18, 2004, by federal marshals to a waiting car after the second day of jury selection in federal court in Sioux City. "He recognized and repented for the crimes he had committed, and spent his time in prison atoning for them," Nolan said in a statement. [7][19], Honken was charged with the murders in 2001. document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ He claimed he had nothing to do with the 1993 disappearances. But the authorities could not find the bodies to prove they had been murdered. His lawyers contended he had dementia and didnt know why he was being executed. A Catholic priest, Honkens spiritual adviser, stood near him inside the death chamber. Once he checked into the Holiday Inn, guards took him to restaurants in a special handicap rental van that cost $543.40. At his sentencing in 2005, Honken denied killing anybody, but Donoghue said she never heard him say he was innocent. Never nothing. On February 7, 1996, officers executed a search warrant on Honken's house and discovered his meth lab, chemicals, equipment, books, and notes, including ones on manufacturing drugs and how to bind and gag people. Dustin Honken, 52, was sentenced to death for killing government informants and children in his effort to thwart his drug trafficking prosecution in 1993. 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 [] An execution date of January 15, 2020, was set for Honken. [19], A judge initially barred McNeese from testifying against Johnson during her trial on the grounds that he was acting as a federal agent. Real life Breaking Bad killer Dustin Honken, who went from - The Sun Seconds later, officials announced the time of death. Honken grew up in Britt, Iowa. Terry was lying face down in a shallow hole with a severely fragmented skull, having been shot one or more times. 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. Upon learning that she had been tricked, Johnson attempted to hang herself. 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 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. } She was visiting Wildwood, New Jersey, on Memorial Day Weekend with friends in 1990. During the sentencing phase, the prosecution said Honken, who they described as an "evil mastermind", deserved to die since he had committed mass murder, killed children, killed a second time months after committing the four initial murders, showed no remorse, and had continued to try to escape prison and commit even more murders while in maximum security prisons. 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. [8] On July 24, 1993, Johnson pretended to be a lost saleswoman to get into Nicholson's home, where she and Honken bound him and forced him to record a statement claiming that Honken was innocent. Dustin Honken, a convicted murderer of 5 people, sits on death row. He and Lori Duncan were bound and gagged and shot multiple times. The two-night hotel stay cost around $200, and the tab was picked up by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. According to court testimonies, Marge Milbrath last saw her daughter on July 25, 1993, while driving to the grocery store. }) Dustin Lee Honken (1968-2020) - Find a Grave Memorial Dustin Lee Honken: Iowan is executed for killing five people in 1990s The federal death penalty against Dustin Lee Honken, now 51, is one of four executions put on hold late Wednesday by a judge who found that a proposal from U.S. Attorney General William Barr to . Federal Government Executes 1st Prisoner In 17 Years After Overnight Court Rulings, Federal Government Executes 2nd Man After Supreme Court Denies Appeals. He'd apologized, saying "I wasn't expecting things to go this way. 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. The two eventually located Nicholson. The attorneys of each convict tried to block their clients' executions in last-ditch attempts to save their lives, two of them nearly succeeded only for the Supreme Court to ultimately give the green light to the Trump administration to go ahead. No matter what, you can always turn to The Marshall Project as a source of trustworthy journalism about the criminal justice system. "[14], Honken was recorded calling Cobeen a "rat" and saying he would kill him no matter what. Maurice Chammah I am so blessed that people had compassion to do that, she said. [28], In 2005, Johnson was found guilty of five counts of murder in furtherance 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. On July 17, 2020, Honken was executed by lethal injection.