Attorney General 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…
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,…
FARGO (KVRR) – A jury member who handed down Alfonso Rodriguez’s death penalty sentence says he disagrees with the judge who overturned the death penalty. Luke Lillehaugen was one of 12 jurors who unanimously found Rodriguez guilty and recommended he be sentenced to death in 2006. Lillehaugen says he was shocked when he found out that Eighth Circuit Court of…
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…
FORT MYERS, Florida — Florida prosecutors will seek the death penalty for Lois Riess. The Minnesota woman is accused of murdering her husband and a Florida woman before being caught and arrested in Texas. A grand jury in Florida indicted the 56-year-old last month on a first-degree murder charge for the death of 59-year-old Pamela Hutchinson of Fort Myers. A…
FORT Myers, Fla. — A Minnesota woman accused of killing her husband and a Florida woman before leading authorities on a cross-country manhunt has been indicted. Officials in Lee County, Florida say the grand jury indicted 56-year-old Lois Riess on first-degree murder. If convicted, she could face the death penalty, but a spokeswoman for the state attorney’s office said prosecutors…
REGIONAL — There’s another long delay in the death penalty appeal of Alfonso Rodriguez. A mental health hearing that had been scheduled for five days in December has been postponed until July. An order by U.S. District Judge Ralph Erickson says postponing the hearing allows attorneys to “conduct discovery and frame up the issues.” Defense attorneys claim Rodriguez isn’t…
FARGO, N.D. — A federal inmate from Crookston convicted of killing UND student Dru Sjodin is appealing his death sentence. Two forensic experts took the stand in the start of what could be Rodriguez’s last appeal. It’s been more than 12 years since 64-year-old Alfonso Rodriguez was federally indicted for the kidnapping, murder and rape of Dru Sjodin. After the…
Dru SjodinDru SjodinFARGO, N.D. — A hearing in the appeal of a man sentenced to death for killing University of North Dakota student Dru Sjodin will delve into gruesome details. Attorneys for Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. are set to argue whether Sjodin was raped and whether she died from wounds to her throat. The defense says both points were used to…
