People who oppose and support the death penalty gathered outside of the state penitentiary in Sioux Falls as Eric Robert was executed Monday night. Robert was executed by lethal injection for the killing of prison guard Ronald Johnson. He was pronounced dead at 10:24 p.m.
Fifty-six-year-old Elaine Engelgau opposes the death penalty. She says it doesn't make sense that the state would do the very thing that they are punishing the person for. At least one person driving by yelled a profanity about Robert to her.
Tonya Reyelts-Doese says Robert's death will help bring some closure to the Johnson family. She was among a handful of people waving banners and flags in support of Johnson and his family.
South Dakota's first execution in five years, and only the second in more than half a century, was carried out Monday night.
Eric Robert pleaded guilty in the April 12, 2011, slaying of a prison guard during a failed escape attempt and asked to be put to death, saying he would kill again. The 50-year-old was scheduled to die by lethal injection at 10:00 p.m. at the State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls.
South Dakota's last execution took place in 2007, and that was the first in the state for 60 years. Only five inmates are currently on death row, including Robert and Donald Moeller, 60, who is expected to be executed later this month after he asked for appeals on his behalf to be dropped.
"You have few people on death row, few executions, and then you have this coincidence of cases coming all at once," said Richard Dieter, executive director of the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center. "When people waive appeals, their cases start to move more quickly."
Robert was serving an 80-year sentence for a kidnapping conviction when he and Rodney Berget, 50, tried to escape from a Sioux Falls prison. Authorities say the two hit Ronald Johnson with a pipe and covered his mouth with plastic wrap.
Robert then put on Johnson's pants, hat and jacket and approached the prison's west gate. With his head down, he pushed a cart loaded with two boxes. Berget was hidden in one of the boxes, according to a report filed by a prison worker after the slaying.
As the men got closer to the gate – and freedom – guards became suspicious. When confronted, Robert beat one guard; other guards quickly arrived and detained both inmates.
Months later, Robert told a judge that his only regret was that he hadn't killed more guards.
Johnson's body was found on the floor in a Pheasantland Industries building, where inmates worked on upholstery, signs, custom furniture and other projects. Johnson was killed on his 63rd birthday.
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