Federal Government Executes 1st Prisoner In 17 Years After Overnight Court Rulings

Enlarge this image


Daniel Lee’s last words from the death chamber in Terre Haute, Ind., were, «You’re killing an innocent man.





Chuck Robinson/AP



hide caption



toggle caption


Chuck Robinson/AP



Law
Judge Orders Halt To Federal Executions That Were Set To Resume This Week

Lee’s last words were, «You’re killing an innocent man.

As a senior Bureau of Prisons official told Lee that he was being put to death, the condemned man shook his head, according to the pool report.

A U.S. marshal lifted a black telephone inside the execution room — a small square room with green tiles and windows looking at the witness’ rooms, where observers were able to see what was taking place — and asked whether there was anything to impede the execution. He said there was not and the execution could proceed.

The time of death was 8:07 a.m.



Law
Federal Executions Set To Resume After 17 Years With 3 Deaths Scheduled Soon

A statement by the Bureau of Prisons following the execution described the gruesome 1996 murders of William Frederick Mueller and Nancy Ann Mueller and their 8-year-old daughter, Sarah Elizabeth Powell, and recounted Lee’s 1999 conviction by a jury in the case.

Ruth Friedman, Lee’s lawyer, criticized what she called the «shameful process that led up to Lee’s death. The prisoner was taken to the death chamber in the dark of night and kept in place even as the final legal obstacles were resolved, she said.

«Over the four hours it took for this reckless and relentless government to pursue these ends, Daniel Lewis Lee remained strapped to a gurney, Friedman said in a statement. «A mere 31 minutes after a court of appeals lifted the last impediment to his execution at the federal government’s urging, while multiple motions remained pending, and without notice to counsel, he was executed.





Enlarge this image


Protesters against the death penalty gather in Terre Haute, Ind., on Monday. Daniel Lee, a convicted killer, was executed the following morning after court rulings cleared the way.





Michael Conroy/AP



hide caption



toggle caption


Michael Conroy/AP



The Coronavirus Crisis
Lawsuit Seeks Delay In Pending Federal Execution, Citing COVID-19 Infection Risks

«In its hurry to resolve the government’s emergency motions, I fear the court has overlooked not only its prior ruling, but also its role in safeguarding robust
federal judicial review, Sotomayor wrote.

The Supreme Court also refused to consider a claim by Earlene Peterson, 81, a relative of Lee’s victims, who had asked the Bureau of Prisons to delay the execution, citing the coronavirus pandemic. She and other family members had appealed to Attorney General William Barr and President Trump to commute Lee’s sentence to life in prison.