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List of people executed in South Dakota

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The following is a list of people executed by the U.S. state of South Dakota from 1877 to date. A total of 20 people have been executed in South Dakota since 1877. Prior to 1915, the sole method of execution was via hanging. South Dakota banned the death penalty in 1915, but it was reinstated in 1939. The method of execution was then changed to electrocution.[1]

Capital punishment was reinstated in South Dakota in 1979 following the U.S. Supreme Court decision of Gregg v. Georgia. The method of execution was changed from electrocution to lethal injection in 1984.[1] Since 1979, a total of 5 people have been executed, all by lethal injection.[2]

Post-Gregg

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No. Name Race Age Sex Date of execution County Method Victim(s) Governor
1 Elijah Page White 25 M July 11, 2007 Lawrence Lethal injection Chester Allan Poage Mike Rounds
2 Eric Donald Robert White 50 M October 15, 2012 Minnehaha Correctional Officer Ronald Johnson Dennis Daugaard
3 Donald Eugene Moeller White 60 M October 30, 2012 Lincoln Becky O'Connell
4 Rodney Scott Berget White 56 M October 29, 2018 Minnehaha Correctional Officer Ronald Johnson
5 Charles Russell Rhines White 63 M November 4, 2019 Pennington Donnivan Schaeffer Kristi Noem

Demographics

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Race
White 5 100%
Age
20–29 1 20%
30–39 0 0%
40–49 0 0%
50–59 2 40%
60–69 2 40%
Sex
Male 5 100%
Date of execution
1976–1979 0 0%
1980–1989 0 0%
1990–1999 0 0%
2000–2009 1 20%
2010–2019 4 80%
2020–2029 0 0%
Method
Lethal injection 5 100%
Governor (Party)
Richard F. Kneip (D) 0 0%
Harvey Wollman (D) 0 0%
Bill Janklow (R) 0 0%
George S. Mickelson (R) 0 0%
Walter Dale Miller (R) 0 0%
Mike Rounds (R) 1 20%
Dennis Daugaard (R) 3 60%
Kristi Noem (R) 1 20%
Total 5 100%

Pre-Furman

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No. Name Race Age Sex Date of execution Method Victim(s) Governor
1 Jack McCall White 24 M March 1, 1877 Hanging Wild Bill Hickok John L. Pennington
2 Thomas Egan White — M July 13, 1882 Mary Egan Nehemiah G. Ordway
3 Brave Bear Native American — M November 15, 1882 Joseph Johnson
4 James Leighton Gilmore White 24 M December 15, 1882 Bisente Ortez
5 John Benjamin Lehman White — M February 19, 1892 Constable James H. Burns Arthur C. Mellette
6 Nathaniel R. Thompson White 62 M October 20, 1893 Electa Blighton Charles H. Sheldon
7 Jay Hicks White 28 M November 15, 1894 John Meyer
8 Chief Two Sticks Native American — M December 28, 1894 Four victims
9 Charles Brown Black 54 M July 14, 1897 Emma Stone Andrew E. Lee
10 Ernest Loveswar Native American — M September 19, 1902 George Puck and George Ostrander Charles N. Herreid
11 Allen Walking Shield Native American — M October 21, 1902 Ghost-Faced Bear
12 George Bear Native American 41 M December 5, 1902 C. Edward Taylor and John Shaw
13 Emil Victor White 19 M November 16, 1909 Mr. and Mrs. James Christie, Mildred Christie, and Michael Ronayne Robert S. Vessey
14 Joseph Rickman Black — M December 3, 1913 Ellen Fox and Mildred Fox Frank M. Byrne
15 George Sitts White 33 M April 8, 1947 Electrocution Special state agent Thomas Matthews[a] George T. Mickelson

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ He also killed Butte County Sheriff Dave Malcolm, but was not separately tried for that murder.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Frequent Asked Questions: Capital Punishment". South Dakota Department of Corrections. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  2. ^ "Searchable Execution Database". Death Penalty Information Center. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
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