US Justice Department announces 13th and final federal execution under Trump admin

On January 15, Trump administration carried out its 13th and final federal execution of prisoner Dustin Higgs, accused of killing three women in Maryland in 1996. US government’s execution, which came in a span of six months, was prounced by federal court just four days ahead of president-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. Biden, a staunch opposer of death penalty, had earlier told press during his campaign rallies that he will ‘progressively’ work to end Capital punishment, which, sitting president trump strongly supports.  

According to sources of Associated Press, Justice Sonya Sotomayor called federal execution an “unprecedented rush,” adding that  “after waiting almost two decades to resume federal executions, Government should have proceeded with some measure of restraint to ensure it did so lawfully.”

Higgs was sentenced in 2000 for accompanying two or men who murdered 3 women in cold blood, with Willis Haynes, one of men that pulled trigger. federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Ind., prounced Higgs guilty of charges—first-degree premeditated murder, three counts of first-degree felony murder, and three counts of kidnapping that led to death.

 Trump administration's Justice Department said in a statement that it will anunce federal executions in closing days of Trump's Presidency as exercise has been in place for over 17 years since President Franklin Dela Roosevelt assumed office. However, Death Penalty Information Center's Robert Dunham, in a statement to NPR, condemned executions by Trump Justice Department during a transition period. 

[Dustin Higgs at Federal Prison in Terre Haute. Credit: AP]

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Attorney calls death penalty 'cruel'

In a statement to AP, an attorney for Higgs, Shawn lan defended Higgs as  “a fine man, a terrific far, bror, and nephew” who “spent decades on death row in solitary confinement helping ors around him, while working tirelessly to fight his unjust convictions.” lan told prosecutors that “re was reason to kill him, particularly during pandemic and when he, himself, was sick with Covid that he contracted because of se irresponsible, super-spreader executions.” attorney argued that death penalty for Higgs immediately after his recovery from COVID-19 was ‘cruel’ 

Democrat senate meanwhile, introduced a bill to abolish federal capital punishment this week. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illiis, incoming chair of Senate Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., proposed legislation, cited by ncy npr, to end health penalties at federal level. Dems pushed to re-sentence federal inmates that were prounced death for ir crimes. Democrats urged that Congress must act immediately, arguing that State-sanctioned ‘murder’ wasn’t synymous with serving justice.

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