Federal Executions During the Trump Presidency: Final Words and Last Meals
The federal death penalty in the United States is one of the most severe forms of justice, yet it remains one of the most controversial. Although it is applicable across all 50 states and territories, its actual use is exceptional. On December 23, 2024, President Biden commuted the federal death sentences of 37 men, leaving only three prisoners on federal death row. However, this was not always the norm. During the Trump administration, federal capital punishment was revived after a nearly two-decade hiatus.
In his first term, Donald Trump oversaw the execution of 13 convicts, becoming the president with the most executions in over a century. With his return to office, history may repeat itself. This report explores the crimes committed by these convicts, the last meals they requested, their final words, and the details of their executions.
Daniel Lewis Lee (Indiana)
On January 11, 1996, Daniel Lewis Lee, along with his accomplice Chevie Kehoe, broke into the home of William Frederick Mueller, a firearms dealer in Arkansas. Their intention was to steal firearms and cash. Inside the house were Mueller, his wife Nancy, and their 8-year-old daughter, Sarah. Lee and Kehoe subdued the family, took them to the basement, placed plastic bags over their heads, and bound them with duct tape. They then threw the bodies into a swamp in northeastern Arkansas, where they were found months later.
Lee was arrested in June 1997 and, after a trial in 1999, was sentenced to death in federal court on multiple charges, including murder during a robbery and conspiracy. Despite his defense’s attempts to reduce his sentence by arguing that Kehoe—the alleged leader of the crime—received a life sentence, the court upheld the death penalty. He spent over 20 years on death row during various legal battles. The day before his execution, he was offered a last meal; however, Lee rejected the special meal and chose the standard prison menu.
On July 14, 2020, Daniel Lewis Lee was executed by lethal injection at the Federal Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. The execution had been delayed by last-minute appeals, but the Supreme Court ultimately lifted the stay. When asked for his last words, Lee said: “I didn’t do it. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but I’m not a killer. You’re killing an innocent man.” He was declared dead at 8:07 a.m.
Wesley Ira Purkey (Indiana)
On January 26, 1998, in Kansas City, Missouri, Wesley Ira Purkey abducted 16-year-old Jennifer Long. After killing her, he dismembered her body and disposed of it in a septic pond in Kansas. He was also convicted of killing an 80-year-old woman with a hammer. Purkey was found guilty in federal court in 2003 and sentenced to death. He spent 17 years on death row at Terre Haute.
During his time in prison, his lawyers argued that he suffered from schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease, attempting to halt his execution without success. For his last meal, Purkey requested a pecan Nutty Buddy. On July 16, 2020, he was executed by lethal injection. His final words were: “I deeply regret the pain I caused to Jennifer Long’s family. I am so sorry.” He was declared dead at 8:19 a.m.
Dustin Honken (Indiana)
On July 25, 1993, Dustin Honken, a methamphetamine dealer, along with his girlfriend Angela Johnson, kidnapped and killed five people in Mason City, Iowa. The victims included Greg Nicholson, a former associate who had become a police informant; Lori Duncan, Nicholson’s girlfriend; and Lori’s two daughters, Kandi and Amber, aged 10 and 6. Honken also killed Terry DeGeus, another drug dealer, by beating him with a bat and shooting him.
The murders occurred while Honken was out on bail. Nicholson and Duncan were tied up, gagged, and shot multiple times, while the two young girls were executed with gunshots to the head. Their bodies were not found until seven years later. In 2005, Honken was sentenced to death. On July 17, 2020, he was executed by lethal injection at USP Terre Haute. There are no official records of a specific last meal request. His final words were: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for me.”
Lezmond Charles Mitchell (Arizona)
On October 28, 2001, Lezmond Charles Mitchell and Johnny Orringer were hitchhiking when they were picked up by 63-year-old Alice Slim and her 9-year-old granddaughter, Tiffany Lee. During the trip, Mitchell and Orringer attacked the victims. Mitchell slit the young girl’s throat while Orringer stabbed Slim to death. They decapitated the bodies, set them on fire, and buried them in a shallow grave.
The case was handled at the federal level because the crimes occurred during a carjacking. Mitchell was sentenced to death in 2003. On August 26, 2020, he was executed at Terre Haute. Members of the Navajo Nation opposed the execution, as the crime occurred on tribal land. When asked for his final words, Mitchell responded: “No, I’m fine.” He was declared dead at 6:29 p.m.
Keith Dwayne Nelson (Missouri)
On October 12, 1999, 10-year-old Pamela Irene Butler was abducted while skating in front of her home in Kansas City, Kansas. Keith Dwayne Nelson, 24, abducted her in front of her sister. He drove her to a forest in Grain Valley, Missouri, where he assaulted and strangled her with a wire. He was caught after a civilian employee spotted him hiding under a bridge.
Nelson pleaded guilty and was sentenced to death in 2001. The prosecution emphasized the brutality of the crime and his lack of remorse. On August 28, 2020, Nelson was executed by lethal injection. His last word was simply: “No.” He was declared dead at 4:32 p.m.
William Emmett LeCroy Jr. (Georgia)
On October 7, 2001, William Emmett LeCroy Jr., a former soldier and sex offender, broke into the home of 30-year-old nurse Joann Lee Tiesler. He waited for her to return, then tied her up, assaulted her, and stabbed her repeatedly. He was arrested while attempting to cross into Canada in the victim’s vehicle.
In 2004, LeCroy was convicted in federal court for carjacking resulting in death. For his last meal, he initially requested KFC, but it was denied due to security concerns over the bones; he settled for Pizza Hut. He was executed on September 22, 2020. LeCroy chose to say nothing as his final words and was declared dead at 9:06 p.m.
Christopher Vialva (Indiana)
On June 21, 1999, in Fort Hood, Texas, Christopher Vialva and his accomplices robbed Todd and Stacie Bagley, a couple from Iowa. Vialva forced them into the trunk of their car, shot them both in the head, and then set the vehicle on fire. Because the crime occurred on military land, it fell under federal jurisdiction.
For his last meal, Vialva requested a pepperoni pizza from Pizza Hut and a soda. He was executed on September 24, 2020. His final words were: “I am more than the worst thing I’ve done. Change is possible if people want it. I’m ready, Father.” He was declared dead at 6:42 p.m.
Orlando Hall (Arkansas)
In September 1994, Orlando Hall and his associates kidnapped 16-year-old Lisa Rene in Texas to retaliate against her brothers for a failed drug deal. They took her to Arkansas, where they abused her, beat her with a shovel, and buried her alive.
Hall was sentenced to death in 1995. Before his execution on November 19, 2020, he converted to Islam. His final words included: “I invite everyone to Islam… Take care, tell my children I love them.” He was declared dead at 11:47 p.m.
Brandon Bernard (Texas)
Brandon Bernard was an accomplice in the 1999 murder of Todd and Stacie Bagley. Although he was not the one who shot the couple, he set the car on fire. His case became controversial due to his age at the time (18) and his secondary role in the crime. Several jurors later advocated for his sentence to be commuted.
Despite the outcry, Bernard was executed on December 10, 2020. His last words were an apology: “The words I say now cannot express what I feel, but I hope they give you some peace.” He was declared dead at 9:27 p.m.
Alfred Bourgeois (Louisiana)
Alfred Bourgeois was executed on December 11, 2020, for the 2002 murder of his 2-year-old daughter, Jacquelyn. During a delivery run in his truck at a naval base in Texas, he brutally beat the child, causing fatal brain injuries.
Bourgeois appealed based on intellectual disability, but his appeals were rejected. In his final words, he maintained his innocence and did not apologize. He was declared dead at 8:21 p.m.
Lisa Montgomery (Kansas)
On December 30, 2004, Lisa Montgomery strangled 23-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett, who was eight months pregnant, and performed a crude cesarean section to kidnap the unborn baby. The baby survived and was later returned to her father.
Montgomery’s defense highlighted a lifetime of horrific abuse and severe mental illness. She was the only woman on federal death row. On January 13, 2021, she was executed by lethal injection—the first woman executed by the federal government in 67 years. She spoke no last words and was declared dead at 1:31 a.m.
Dustin Higgs (Maryland)
Dustin John Higgs was executed on January 16, 2021, for his role in the 1996 murders of Tamika Black, Tanji Jackson, and Mishann Chinn. Though Higgs did not pull the trigger, he was convicted of ordering the murders after a dispute at his apartment.
The case was controversial because the shooter received a life sentence while Higgs received death. Additionally, Maryland had abolished the death penalty by the time he was executed federally. In his final words, he stated: “I would like to say I am an innocent man. I did not order the murders.” Higgs was the 13th and final prisoner executed during the Trump presidency.
