Drug dealer who killed 5 executed at federal prison

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — The U.S. government on Friday put to death an Iowa chemistry studentturnedmethamphetamine kingpin convicted of killing five people, the third execution by the federal government in a week.

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, Ind. Two others were also put to death during the week after a hiatus of nearly 20 years. including Kansan Wesley Purkey.

The first in the spate of federal executions happened Tuesday, when Daniel Lewis Lee was put to death for killing a family in the 1990s as part of a plot to build a whitesonly nation. Lee’s execution, like Purkey’s, went ahead only after the U.S. Supreme Court gave it a green light in a 54 decision hours before.

Honken, of Britt, Iowa, had been on death row since 2005. He was pronounced dead at 4:36 p.m., the Bureau of Prisons said.

While out on bond in his drugs case in July 1993, Honken and his girlfriend Angela Johnson kidnapped Lori Duncan and her two daughters from their Mason City, Iowa, home, then killed and buried them in a wooded area nearby. Tenyearold Kandi and 6yearold Amber were still in their swimsuits on the hot summer day when they were shot executionstyle in the back of the head.

Their primary target that day was Lori Duncan’s thenboyfriend, Greg Nicholson, who also lived at the home and was also killed. He and Lori Duncan were bound and gagged and shot multiple times.

As the investigation continued, Honken killed another drug dealer working with him, Terry DeGeus, beating him with a bat and shooting him.