Judge postpones execution of inmate who was set to be first federal prisoner put to death in 17 years

CNN ^ | 07/10/2020 | David Shortell and Caroline Kelly, Veronica Stracqualursi and Ariane de Vogue

[BenLurkin]

Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson, of the Southern District of Indiana, sided with the family of Lee's victims, who had pleaded for a delay given the coronavirus pandemic.

Lee's death was expected to usher in a new era for the death penalty in the United States, and three other men convicted for murdering children were slated to be killed in the coming weeks.

Earlene Peterson -- whose daughter, granddaughter and son-in-law were tortured, killed and dumped in a lake by Lee and an accomplice -- has opposed Lee's execution, telling CNN last year that she did not want it done in her name.

Peterson, 81, and other family members had filed suit on Tuesday, asking the Indianapolis court to delay the execution because they are medically vulnerable to the virus and arguing that traveling to Indiana to witness the execution would place them "at grave risk of life-threatening complications from COVID-19."

In December, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court blocking the death sentence from being carried out last year. But an appeals court decided in April that the executions could move forward, and Barr set new dates for Lee and three other men in June. Since then, lawyers for the men have made several last-ditch efforts to delay the executions, including the lawsuit that was filed this week by the family of Lee's victims.

The three other federal inmates ordered to be executed in the days and weeks that follow are Wesley Ira Purkey for raping and murdering a 16-year-old girl; Dustin Lee Honken, for shooting and killing five people, including two young girls; and Keith Dwayne Nelson for kidnapping, raping and strangling to death a 10-year-old girl.

[DoodleDawg]

Peterson, 81, and other family members had filed suit on Tuesday, asking the Indianapolis court to delay the execution because they are medically vulnerable to the virus and arguing that traveling to Indiana to witness the execution would place them "at grave risk of life-threatening complications from COVID-19."

What requires that they be there for the execution?