|
(Continued from page 23)
tion is unlikely to occur for at least three or four months, he said.
• Robert was already serving the equivalent of a life sentence -- 80 years for a kidnapping conviction -- so a death sentence is justified because another life term would not have increased his punishment, Jackley said.
• "The death sentence is reserved for only the most brutal crimes that are committed. The horrific actions of Robert leave no other alternative and justify the sentence of death," Jackley said.
• Defense lawyer Mark Kadi, of Sioux Falls, said Robert seemed relieved that the Supreme Court will allow his execution. He wants it to be carried out soon and will not seek any last-minute delays, Kadi said.
• "Just as he has not taken steps to pursue appeals in his case, he will not seek or accept any executive clemency," Kadi said.
• A second inmate involved in the escape attempt, 49-year-old Rodney Berget, also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to death, but has appealed his conviction and sentence. A third inmate, Michael Nordman, 47, was given a life sentence for providing the plastic wrap and pipe used in the slaying.
• Johnson was working alone on April 12, 2011, his 63rd birthday, in a part of the prison where inmates work on upholstery, signs, custom furniture and other projects. Prosecutors said the two inmates killed Johnson by hitting him with a pipe and wrapping his head in plastic wrap. Robert put on Johnson's uniform and tried to move a large box toward the prison gate with Berget inside. The inmates were apprehended before leaving the prison.
• The prison made more than a dozen procedural changes after Johnson's killing
|
|
