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

The Justice Department has put to death Daniel Lee, 47, marking the first federal execution since 2003, after a chaotic overnight series of court rulings.

Lee had been convicted of killing three people, including a child, as part of a broader racketeering scheme to fund a white supremacist cause. He had waited more than 20 years on federal death row in Terre Haute, Ind.

Lee, strapped to a gurney and connected to an IV in his left arm, said: "I didn't do it. I've made a lot of mistakes in my life but I'm not a murderer," according to a pool report from the prison.

https://www.npr.org/2020/07/14/890745125/federal-government-executes-1st-prisoner-in-17-years-after-overnight-court-rulin?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20200714&utm_term=4672624&utm_campaign=breaking-news&utm_id=48780983&orgid=309