Federal Government Restarts Executions

Earlier today, The United States Attorney General Bill Barr directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons to adopt a proposed Addendum to the Federal Execution Protocol. What this does is clear the way for the federal government to start applying capital punishment for the worst of the worst offenders.

According to the Justice Department's press release, the Federal Execution Protocol Addendum will replace the formerly used 3-drug procedure for a single drug procedure. This resembles the procedures used by Georgia, Missouri, and Texas. The replacement drug to be used in federal executions now will be pentobarbital.

Pentobarbital has been used in 14 states for over 200 executions since 2010. The Supreme Court has upheld the use of pentobarbital for executions saying that it does not violate 8th Amendment rights.

After a 20 year hiatus, the Justice Department wasted no time in announcing the first five individuals who will be executed. Each of those convicts have exhausted all of their appeals and have no legal basis in which to prevent their executions.

The five men scheduled for capital punishment are:

1.) Daniel Lewis Lee, a member of a white supremacist group who murdered a family of three including an eight year old girl. He was found guilty on May 4, 1999 and is scheduled for execution on December 9, 2019.

2.) Lezmond Mitchell, was convicted of stabbing a 63 year old grandmother to death. After murdering the grandmother Mitchell slit the throat and crushed the skull of the 9 year old granddaughter. He was convicted on May 8, 2003 and is scheduled for execution on December 11, 2019.

3.) Wesley Ira Purkey, violently raped and murdered a 16 year old girl. He also dismembered, burned, and dumped the body of the teenage girl into a septic pond. Purkey was also found guilty of beating an 80 year old woman with polio to death with a hammer. He was convicted on November 5, 2003 and is scheduled to be executed on December 13, 2019.

4.) Alfred Bourgeois, tortured and sexually molested his two-and-a-half year old daughter. He also went on to beat his daughter to death. Bourgeois was convicted on March 16, 2004 and is scheduled to be executed on January 13, 2020.

5.) Dustin Lee Honken, shot five people to death. Two of the men he shot were planning on testifying against him. The other three people murdered was a single mother along with her six year old and ten year old daughters. He was convicted on October 14, 2004 and is scheduled to be executed on January 15, 2020.

After adding this Addendum to the Federal Execution Protocol, Attorney General Barr stated,

"Congress has expressly authorized the death penalty through legislation adopted by the people's representatives in both houses of Congress and signed by the President. Under Administrations of both parties, the Department of Justice has sought the death penalty against the worst criminals, including these five murderers, each of whom was convicted by a jury of his peers after a full and fair proceeding. The Justice Department upholds the rule of law--and we owe it to the victims and their families to carry forward the sentence imposed by our justice system."


Source:

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/federal-government-resume-capital-punishment-after-nearly-two-decade-lapse


Author: 777 Media Source