A U.S. court ruled Sunday that the government could proceed with the execution of Daniel Lee on Monday. The ruling will make Monday's federal execution the first in nearly two decades.

Daniel Lewis Lee, a 47-year-old self-proclaimed White Supremacist, was sentenced to death decades ago. He was convicted in Arkansas after taking part in the 1996 murder of the Mueller family. The victims included an 8-year-old girl named Sarah Powel.

The family members of the victims previously sued the Justice Department, arguing the COVID-19 pandemic prevents them from traveling to witness the execution. Indiana Chief District Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson suspended the execution late Friday, but the Court of Appeals' decision overruled it, the Associated Press reports.

The Justice Department also argued that the family's concerns did not outweigh the public interest in carrying out the sentence. It also noted that the Bureau of Prisons had taken proper measures to accommodate the family.

The family plans to file an appeal to the Supreme Court before the execution on Monday at four in the afternoon.

Who is Daniel Lewis Lee?

Daniel Lee was a devoted member of the Aryan People's Republic, a known white supremacist organization. Together with the Kehoe brothers, their father Kirby, and fellow member Faron Lovelace, the group engaged in criminal activities from 1995 to 1997. Their crimes helped fund and promote their organization.

According to the ATF.gov, their crimes included multiple murders, kidnappings, robbery, and shoot-outs with law enforcement officers. The suspects also used a portion of the loot to purchase an Idaho property that served as their training base.

In 1996, Chevie and Daniel robbed and killed a gun dealer named William Mueller and his wife and daughter, Nancy and Sarah.

Capture and Sentence

With Chevie and Cheyne Kehoe's mother's help, officers from local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies successfully captured the five suspects.

The Kehoe brothers' mother served as an important witness during the court trials. All five defendants were eventually convicted.

Kirby Kehoe, the father, pled guilty to the crimes, receiving nearly four years in prison. Cheyne Kehoe received more than two decades imprisonment. Faron Lovelace, an accomplice, was convicted of murder and received a death sentence.

Chevie Kehoe and Daniel Lewis Lee were both found guilty of murder. However, Kehoe received a life sentence while Lee was sentenced to death.

Bringing Back Federal Executions

In July 2019, the Trump administration announced its plans to bring back the death penalty. U.S. Attorney General William Barr ordered the Bureau of Prisons to resume capital punishment.

In 1972, the Supreme Court ruled the death penalty, including state and federal executions, unconstitutional. However, Congress reinstated capital punishment after passing the Anti-Drug Abuse Act in 1988.

The Federal Death Penalty Act of 1994 expanded the number of eligible offenses, but it wasn't until 2001 that the first federal execution occurred. The U.S. government has executed only three people between 1988 and 2003.

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