Capital punishment in North Dakota
Capital punishment was abolished in the U.S. state of North Dakota in 1973.[1] Historically, a total of eight people have been executed in North Dakota, including one execution prior to North Dakota attaining statehood.
History
According to the North Dakota
No federal executions have ever taken place in North Dakota. On February 8, 2007, Alfonso Rodriguez, Jr. was sentenced to death for the kidnapping and murder of Dru Sjodin and is now the only person on federal death row for a crime committed in North Dakota.[3] Because Rodriguez took Sjodin's corpse across state lines, he was eligible for federal prosecution, and therefore for the death penalty.[4] U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Erickson arranged that Rodriguez would be executed according to South Dakota rules.[5] Rodriguez was the first person in North Dakota to receive a death sentence in over a century.[6]
See also
- List of people executed in North Dakota
- Crime in North Dakota
- Law of North Dakota
References
- ^ Death Penalty Information Center
- ^ "North Dakota Supreme Court". Archived from the original on 2012-11-05. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
- Minneapolis Star-Tribune. September 23, 2006. Retrieved on June 5, 2016.
- Twin Cities Pioneer Press. March 22, 2014. Retrieved on June 5, 2016.
- ^ Wagner, Steve. "On death row, killer of UND student Dru Sjodin questions juror conduct in death penalty sentencing." The Bemidji Pioneer. August 6, 2015. Retrieved on June 5, 2016.
- ^ Lee, Steven J. "From death row, Rodriguez discusses murder of Dru Sjodin." Grand Forks Herald. November 13, 2013. Retrieved on June 5, 2016.
External links
- Frank Vyzralek, Capital crimes and criminals executed in northern Dakota Territory and North Dakota, 1885–1905", 2000-10-19