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Why 2 inmates received lethal injection after failed prison escape, murder
The killings triggered more than two dozen security changes at the prison, and a third inmate received life for supplying the tools used in the escape attempt.
- South Dakota executed inmate Eric Robert for the April 12, 2011, murder of corrections officer Ronald Johnson. Robert authorized Warden Douglas Weber to proceed, stating, "In the name of justice and liberty and mercy, I authorize and forgive Warden Douglas Weber to execute me for my crimes."
- On April 12, 2011, Robert and fellow inmate Rodney Berget attempted to escape South Dakota State Penitentiary among its 760 inmates. The pair attacked Johnson while working as laundry orderlies, seeking to reach the prison's west gate.
- Inmate Michael Nordman provided a lead pipe and plastic shrink wrap for the assault, according to the Madison Daily Leader. Robert donned Johnson's uniform to deceive guard Jodie Hall in a failed bid to exit the facility.
- Johnson's death prompted more than two dozen security changes at the penitentiary, according to the Argus-Leader. His widow, Lynette, later sued the state for negligence over the loss of her husband after 34 years of marriage.
- Former employer Dan Romans called Robert a "natural born leader," yet the Rapid City Journal reported his path from Wisconsin showed "far-reaching effects of a damaged upbringing" and a "wanton disregard for human life." The contradiction defined his legacy.
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Duluth News Tribune+20 Reposted by 20 other sources
Why 2 inmates received lethal injection after failed prison escape, murder
Once an emergency medical technician with a steady job, Eric Robert became a public threat, disguising himself to kidnap and to kill, leading himself and one other to death row.
·Cherokee County, United States
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Leaning Left0Leaning Right9Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center, 50% Right
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center, 50% of the sources lean Right
50% Right
C 50%
R 50%
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