FARGO (KVRR) – Federal prosecutors will no longer seek the death penalty against Alfonso Rodriguez, Jr, the man convicted in the kidnapping and death of Dru Sjodin. U.S. Attorney Mac Schneider says Attorney General Merrick Garland has directed him to withdraw the notice of intent to seek a sentence of death in the case. “My thoughts today are with Dru…
FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — Fargo-based attorney and longtime politician Mac Schneider was tapped about a year ago by President Joe Biden to serve at the U.S. Attorney for the state of North Dakota. Now that he’s been confirmed, Schneider is taking the reins at Fargo’s federal courthouse with the help of a team of longtime federal prosecutors there. He came…
FARGO (KVRR) – Federal prosecutors have suddenly dropped their appeal of a judge’s ruling in September that overturned the death sentence for Alfonso Rodriguez, the man convicted in the 2003 kidnapping and death of Dru Sjodin. On March 3, the U.S. Attorney’s office filed documents stating that prosecutors intended to ask a federal appeals court to overturn Judge Ralph Erickson’s…
Drew WrigleyFARGO (KVRR) – The man who led the prosecution in the death penalty case against Alfonso Rodriguez, Jr. says now that a federal judge has overturned Rodriguez’s death sentence, the government’s next move will likely be decided at “the top levels of the Justice Department.” “On a case like this, I would imagine that the Solicitor General of the…
FARGO (KVRR) – A federal judge has thrown out the death sentence for a man convicted in the 2003 slaying of a North Dakota college student, saying new evidence shows that the medical examiner was “guessing” on the stand and defense lawyers did not adequately explore mental health evidence. Judge Ralph Erickson ruled Friday that misleading testimony from the coroner,…
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (KVRR) – The federal prison where Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. remains on death row has more COVID-19 cases than any other federal prison in the nation. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, there are currently 410 inmates and 3 staff members with confirmed active COVID-19 cases at the U.S. Penitentiary at Terre Haute, Ind. The Terre Haute…
FARGO (KVRR) – Could the death sentence of Alfonso Rodriguez, the man convicted of the 2003 kidnapping and murder of University of North Dakota student Dru Sjodin, be overturned by the Biden administration? President-elect Joe Biden has said that he opposes the death penalty and will work on legislation to eliminate the death penalty and incentivize states to abolish the…
Alfonso RodriguezAlfonso RodriguezFARGO (KVRR) – COVID-19 infections are causing slowdowns in the appeal process of Alfonso Rodriguez, the man facing the death penalty for the kidnapping and murder of Dru Sjodin. U.S. Attorney Drew Wrigley says in court documents that his office “recently encountered attorney staffing issues, which have impacted several attorneys in the office.” Wrigley says so far, 3…
FARGO, N.D. – A federal judge turns down a request to hold an open hearing on Alfonso Rodriguez’s death penalty appeal. U.S. Attorney for North Dakota Drew Wrigley asked for a hearing in Fargo within 30 days last week. Judge Ralph Erickson says the issues he wanted to discuss have been resolved. They include setting deadlines for the timely release…
Alfonso RodriguezAlfonso RodriguezRead the letter by clicking here FARGO (KFGO) – Alfonso Rodriguez Jr., the man on death row for the 2003 kidnapping and murder of University of North Dakota student Dru Sjodin, told federal prosecutors that he wanted to plead guilty to avoid the possibility of being sentenced to death. The information is in a letter obtained by KFGO…
