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Monday, 06 February 2012 09:48 |
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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) _ A judge on Monday sentenced a South
Dakota inmate to death for his part in the killing of a prison
guard during an unsuccessful escape attempt.
Rodney Berget, 49, pleaded guilty to killing Ronald ``R.J.''
Johnson on April 12 _ Johnson's birthday _ during the escape
attempt with Eric Robert.
Robert also pleaded guilty in Johnson's death and in October was
sentenced to death.
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley said during
pre-sentencing that the state was seeking the death penalty based
on five aggravating factors. They were: the death of a correctional
officer, the manner of death, where and why it occurred, and the
defendants' criminal background. Zell had to find at least one was
present during the killing to sentence Berget to death.
Berget is serving life sentences for attempted murder and
kidnapping. Prosecutors said during the pre-sentencing phase that
Berget had tried to escape several times before the April 12
incident.
Berget's lawyer, Jeff Larson, said during his opening statements
that his client is ``not a monster,'' and described how Berget had
been taken from his mother as a child and placed with his alcoholic
father who beat him.
Johnson was working alone the morning of his death in a part of
the prison known as Pheasantland Industries, where inmates work on
upholstery, signs, custom furniture and other projects. Prosecutors
said that after the two bashed Johnson's head with a pipe and
covered his mouth with plastic wrap, Robert put on the guard's
uniform and carted a large box toward the prison gate with Berget
inside. Both inmates were apprehended before leaving the grounds.
A third inmate, Michael Nordman, 47, is charged with supplying
the pipe and plastic wrap used in the slaying. Prosecutors have not
said if they will seek the death penalty for Nordman.
The penitentiary made more than a dozen procedural changes soon
after Johnson's killing, including adding officers to three areas
of the prison and installing additional security cameras. Other
changes outlined in a 28-page report released by the state in May
included further restricting inmate traffic, strengthening
perimeter fencing, improving lighting and mandating body alarm
``panic buttons'' for staff.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
