Juror In Rodriguez, Jr. Case Speaking Out After Death Penalty Is Dropped

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — One of the twelve jurors who decided Alfonso Rodriguez, Jr. should be executed for kidnapping and murdering Dru Sjodin is speaking out.

Luke Lillehaugen was part of the six-week long, three-part trial in 2006 that left Rodriguez sitting on death row in federal prison in Indiana.

He says the prospect of Rodriguez getting off death row and possibly being in a facility closer to his family is part of why he chose to sentence him to death.

“How I felt on it was that was one of the reasons I could justify the death penalty was to make sure that he, he got the punishment, he couldn’t see his family, his family couldn’t see him the way he did to his victim,” said Lillehaugen.

“And that might not be the case and there again what did we do it for, you know?”

Lillehaugen called the long-drawn-out legal process frustrating.

He says he feels Rodriguez should have been executed by now.

However, he says he knew it was always more likely the convicted murderer would have died in prison of natural causes instead of being put to death.