Daniel Lee, Federal
Daniel Lee, Federal
July 14, 2020
Daniel Lewis Lee was executed on Tuesday, July 14, 2020, by the federal government. Daniel was pronounced dead at 8:07 am, inside the execution chamber at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. He was 47 years of age and sentenced to death for the triple murder of William Mueller, his wife Nancy, and her eight-year-old daughter Sarah Powell, in January 1996, in Russellville, Arkansas. Daniel had spent the last 21 years of his life on federal death row.
His execution was scheduled to occur 4pm on Monday, July 13, 2020, however it was delayed for several hours due to appeals. All appeals were eventually lifted by the Supreme Court of the United States.
Daniel was born in Yukon, Oklahoma. He grew up in a dysfunctional family and suffered from mental impairment.
Daniel Lee was an active member of a white supremacist organization. He had been recruited into the group by Chevie Kehoe, whom he met in 1995. Together, Lee, Chevie, Chevie’s father Kirby Kehoe, Chevie’s brother Cheyne Kehoe, and Faron Lovelace participated in a variety of criminal activities to promote and fund the white supremacist group.
In January 1996, Lee and Chevie traveled from Washington state to Arkansas, where they went to the home of William Mueller, a gun dealer, whom Chevie had stolen from nearly a year ago. William and his family was not home when Lee and Chevie arrived, so they waited for them.
Upon their arrival, Lee and Chevie overpowered and incapacitated William and his wife, Nancy. Lee and Chevie then questioned eight-year-old Sarah about where guns, ammunition, and cash were located in the house. Lee and Chevie found approximately $50,000 in cash, guns, and ammunition.
William, Nancy, and Sarah were all shot with stun guns before plastic bags were placed over their heads and sealed with duct tape. The three victims were weighted with rocks and thrown into the Illinois bayou. They were discovered in Lake Darnelle, near Russellville, Arkansas in June 1996.
Lee and Chevie returned with the stolen goods and proceeded to sell them at gun shows. Eventually, Lee and Chevie were arrested in 1997, after law enforcement was able to trace the William’s guns back to them.
Lee and Chevie, along with several others, were indicted on December 12, 1997. Lee was charged with racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, and murder in aid of racketeering. He was convicted and sentenced to death. Although a death sentence was also sought for Chevie, he was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences.
Daniel Lee had a previous execution date of Friday, December 13, 2019. That execution was stayed by U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan, who issued the stay due to questions of legality over the planned method of execution. The stay was appealed and the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit lifted the stay of execution, allowing the execution to be rescheduled.
Please pray for peace for the family of William, Nancy, and Sarah. Please pray for strength for the family of Daniel Lee.
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