SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — South Dakota’s top law enforcement official says the only man on death row in the state could be executed in late 2026.
The Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office found Chester Allan Poage’s body at Higgins Gulch in western South Dakota in April 2000. Briley Piper pleaded guilty to Poage’s 2000 murder.
Piper waived his right to a jury, and a court sentenced him to die. But the South Dakota Supreme Court decided that Piper waiving that right was not valid. His death sentence was vacated, and his fate was set for a jury’s sentencing. The jury recommended the death penalty, and the state supreme court agreed.
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The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has agreed with the district court’s denial of Piper’s attempt to overturn his conviction and sentence. The appeals court’s affirmation was filed Monday…