Annie Mae Aquash was found dead on the Pine Ridge Reservation in February 1976, killed by a bullet to the back of her head, but no one was charged with the crime for almost 30 years. Then two defendants were tried and convicted.
One of them, John Graham, has lost another appeal.
Graham was extradited from Canada in 2007 after he was implicated by his codefendant.
Graham raised issues with his extradition, saying the U.S. government extradited him, not the state, and so South Dakota did not have jurisdiction. He also challenged the extradition request because it did not list the crime for which he was eventually convicted.
Late last week the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals at St. Paul released an opinion affirming the legality of the process that returned Graham to South Dakota to
face charges. SDPB's Victoria Wicks has this story.
