Rodney Berget Executed After Hours of Delay, Supreme Court Filings
The final chapter has played out in the turbulent life of Rodney Berget, a lifelong criminal in the Sioux Falls area, who was executed Monday night.
The death penalty was the result of a botched prison escape in 2011 that resulted in the killing of correctional officer Ronald RJ Johnson. His execution was carried out on Monday (October 29) with the official time of death listed as 7:37 PM.
After numerous court appeals, Attorney General Marty Jackley said that due process had run its course.
A series of events, which included individuals filing on behalf of Berget with the US Supreme Court, delayed the 1:30 PM scheduled execution time.
"The first motion was filed by Karen Lopez challenging South Dakota law relating to the method of execution. The South Dakota Supreme Court has denied the Lopez motion to stay," said Jackley in a prepared statement. "The second motion was filed by Juliet Yackel challenging Berget’s competency and intellectual capacity which would make him ineligible for capital punishment. The South Dakota Supreme Court has denied the Yackel motion to stay."