(Continued from page 21)

used sparingly in South Dakota. He said it deters crime and particularly protects prison staff, other inmates and medical personnel from convicted murderers housed in prison.
• "There is a place for capital punishment. It's a very limited place," Jackley said. "Our prosecutors, our juries and our judges have used it very sparingly, only for the most egregious and appropriate cases."
• Hickey said he doesn't want to reopen old cases, so his bill would not change the death sentences faced by the three convicts currently on death row. They are: Charles Russell Rhines, convicted of the 1992 slaying of a man during the burglary of a Rapid City doughnut shop; Briley Piper, convicted of the 2000 killing of a man near Spearfish; and Rodney Berget, convicted of the 2011 killing of a prison guard during a botched escape attempt.
• "Just draw a line in the sand from here on, is kind of my hope," Hickey said.
• The pastor at Church at the Gate in Sioux Falls said he became opposed to the death penalty after a fresh study of the Bible and the emphasis Jesus put on redemption and not retribution in justice. But he said his arguments to the Legislature will not deal with theology.
• Hickey said he does not believe capital punishment deters crime, provides closure for most victims' families, saves money in legal appeals or makes people safer.
• "The other thing that changed my mind on this is I saw a list of the nations that kill people," Hickey said. "We're on this list of about 10 of the worst nations on Earth. It's the wrong group to be in," Hickey said.
• Hickey said about 20 of the 70 members of the state House of Representatives are steadfast supporters of the death penalty, 20 are ready to repeal it and the other 30 are open to discussing it. He said he expects his bill will face a tougher challenge in the Senate.
• Senate Republican Leader Tim Rave of Baltic said he remains a supporter of the death penalty.
• "Unless I saw something that was new and compelling from the past arguments, I don't see myself changing my position on that," Rave said.
• Jackley said South Dakota, which has executed three people since 2007, uses a constitutional method of lethal injection and executes only convicts who are clearly guilty of horrible crimes.
• Death penalty cases do not increase appeals costs because those sentenced to death follow the same appeals process as other convicts, Jackley said.
•