Credit Kealey Bultena / SDPB
South Dakota inmate Rodney Berget was executed Monday, October 29, 2018, for the murder of prison guard Ronald "RJ" Johnson in April of 2011. Berget, 56, admitted to his part in the murder and asked a judge in 2016 to withdraw his appeals of his death sentence.
The execution was originally scheduled to be carried out at 1:30 p.m. CDT, but was delayed for hours while the U.S. Supreme Court weighed a last-minute legal manuver by mitigation specialist, Juliet Yackel, who claimed Berget was "intellectually disabled". Berget was pronounced deat at 7:37 p.m. CDT.
SDPB's Jackie Hendry and Cara Hetland speak with Lori Walsh about the day and the delay.