Federal executions resumed last week at the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute after 17 years.
The first inmate executed, Daniel Lewis Lee, was convicted in 1999 for murdering a family of three – William Mueller, Nancy Mueller, and eight-year old Sarah Powell.
Relatives of Lee's victims opposed his execution. They wanted to be present at the execution to express their disagreement with the sentence.
They appealed for a stay of execution, citing concerns about travelling during a pandemic, but the appeal was overturned by the Supreme Court.
READ MORE: Third Federal Inmate Executed This Week In Terre Haute
Monica Veillette is a niece and cousin of Lee’s victims.
She says she and her family will never have peace with the murder of her family members. But they did not support Lee's death sentence.
"I want justice in our justice system more than I want peace for one individual. We lost our family members, you know, they were murdered" Veillette says. "We are still grieving that loss."
She says the court’s decision to move ahead with the execution despite her family’s appeal for a delay has further traumatized them.
"We have spoken out that this is not something we wanted," Veillette says. "Over and over it’s been said that it’s being done for my aunt and cousin, it’s being done for our family. And in the end, they completely dismissed us.”
Veillette says she and her family didn't want to feel the burden of Lee being killed in thier name.
"That is a heavy burden to live with," she says."
She says she and her family hope that no other families go through the same thing they did.
Another execution is scheduled in Terre Haute for August 28.
