Executions |
South Dakota has executed 15 people. Four
of those executions were prior to statehood. The only crime for which
capital punishment is a sentence is first degree murder with one of 10
aggravated circumstances. In 2006, capital punishment for aggravated
kidnapping was removed. As with many states, execution is not an option for
those under 18 or suffering from mental illness. The Governor may commute a
sentence with a non-binding recommendation of the board. Up through 2008, no
commutation has ever been made.
Until 1913, hanging was the manner of execution used. In 1915, the death penalty was abolished. However, it was reinstated in 1933 and the method used was the electric chair. On 1 Jan 1979, South Dakota passed a new law regarding the death penalty. The current method of execution is lethal injection.
| Inmate | Date | Method | Crime | Under Governor |
| Jack McCall | 1 Mar 1877 | hanging | murder of Wild Bill Hickok | John L Pennington |
| Thomas Egan | 13 Jul 1882 | hanging | murder of his wife, Mary | Nehemiah G Ordway |
| Brave Bear | 1 Nov 1882 | hanging | murder of Joseph Johnson | Nehemiah G Ordway |
| James Gilmore | 15 Dec 1882 | hanging | murder of Bisente Ortez | Nehemiah G Ordway |
| James B Lehman | 19 Feb 1892 | hanging | murder of Constable John Burns | Arthur C Mellette |
| Nathaniel Thompson | 20 Jan 1893 | hanging | murder of Electa Blighton | Charles H Sheldon |
| Jay Hicks | 15 Nov 1894 | hanging | murder and robbery of John Meyer | Charles H Sheldon |
| Chief Two Sticks | 28 Dec 1894 | hanging | instigating four murders | Charles H Sheldon |
| Charles Brown | 14 Jul 1897 | hanging | murder and robbery of Emma Stone | Andrew E Lee |
| Ernest Loveswar | 19 Sep 1902 | hanging | murders of George Puck and George Ostrander | Charles N Herreid |
| Allen Walkingshield | 15 Jan 1902 | hanging | murder of Mrs Ghost-Faced Bear | Charles N Herreid |
| George Bear | 5 Dec 1902 | hanging | murder of C Edward Tayloe and John Shaw | Charles N Herreid |
| Emil Victor | 16 Nov 1909 | hanging | murder of Mr and Mrs James Christie, daughter Mildred and Michael Ronayne | Robert S Vessey |
| Joe Rickman | 3 Dec 1913 | hanging | murder of Ellen Fox and her 14-year-old daughter, Mildred Fox | Frank M Byrne |
| George Sitts | 8 Apr 1947 | electric chair | murder of special state agent Thomas Matthews. He also killed Butte Co. Sherriff Dave Malcolm, but was not separately tried for the murder | George T Mickelson |
| Elijah Page | 11 Jul 2007 | lethal injection | First Degree Murder of Chester Allan Poage | Mike Rounds |