At 5:05 p.m. CST this evening, South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds halted the execution of Elijah Page. Rounds said the state execution law was flawed.
Read the Argus Leader story here:
Gov. Rounds halts execution of Elijah Page
This execution was to be the first in SoDak in almost 60 years.
Page was sentenced to death for his role in the murder of a 19-year-old Spearfish man, Chester Allen Poage in March 2000. He and a co-defendant, Briley Piper, pleaded guilty and were sent to death row. A third co-defendant, Darrell Hoadley, was found guilty by a jury and sentenced to life in prison instead.
It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming weeks and months in regard to this case.
I am no fan of Mike Rounds, but I am very happy to hear he stayed this execution – although the reasons are not necessarily the right ones. It was very upsetting to me that the death penalty was going to be enforced in my state. He said he “didn’t want to make a mistake that could not be corrected.” He wants the legislature to review current practices in other states and bring SoDak’s up to current standards…and is concerned about the “appropriate use of chemicals” used in the execution. He’s given the legislature until July 1, 2007.
Of course, the state I lived in before moving to SoDak (Okla.) executed Eric Patton this evening. And the state I lived in before OK (Indiana) executed Timothy McVeigh shortly after I moved there. Yikes.