NewsCoronavirus

Actions

Indiana judge halts first federal execution in 17 years, citing coronavirus

Posted
and last updated

A federal judge in Indiana is halting the first federal execution in 17 years, citing concerns over the coronavirus.

Daniel Lee had been scheduled to die by lethal injection on Monday. But Chief District Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson in Indiana ruled Friday that the execution would be put on hold because the family of the victims wanted to attend but were afraid of traveling during the coronavirus pandemic.

The injunction delays the execution until there is no longer such an emergency.

The 47-year-old Lee, of Yukon, Oklahoma, was convicted in Arkansas of the 1996 killings of gun dealer William Mueller, his wife, Nancy, and her 8-year-old daughter, Sarah Powell.

,

Weather

Daily Forecast

View Hourly Forecast

Day

Conditions

HI / LO

Precip

Friday

05/29/2026

Partly Cloudy

76° / 56°

1%

Saturday

05/30/2026

Sunny

84° / 59°

2%

Sunday

05/31/2026

Sunny

90° / 64°

1%

Monday

06/01/2026

Sunny

95° / 67°

0%

Tuesday

06/02/2026

Sunny

95° / 67°

0%

Wednesday

06/03/2026

Sunny

96° / 66°

0%

Thursday

06/04/2026

Sunny

97° / 67°

0%

Friday

06/05/2026

Mostly Sunny

95° / 65°

0%