Brandon Bernard was executed last night in prison in Indiana after 21 years on death row. The death penalty was carried out by order of the federal government, which does not usually happen during the transition period between two presidents.
Outgoing President Donald Trump wants to have more executions carried out before the appointment of his successor.
Bernard, 40, was sentenced to death in 1999 for his role in the murders of Stacie and Todd Bagley.
As a teenager, he was a member of the gang that killed the two religious. The shooter, Christopher Vialva, was already executed in September.
Until recently, the death penalty was no longer carried out by a federal judge. But Trump broke with that tradition after 17 years. Since then, nine prisoners have been executed, including Bernard.
Trump would want to have four others executed before Biden succeeds him. That too is against the usual customs. For the past 130 years, the outgoing president has opted to leave the decision to his successor.