State v. Elijah Page
Page was convicted in the same brutal beating death of Chester Allan Poage as Briley Piper, and was also separately sentenced to death. He has appealed to the South Dakota Supreme Court. Page’s Lawyers filed written arguments in the middle of 2002. The Court, however, remanded the case to the trial court for consideration of the issue of whether Page's death sentence was out of proportion to the sentence of fellow defendant Darrell Hoadley. Hoadley was sentenced to life imprisonment, while Page and Piper were sentenced to death.
The trial court considered this issue, and decided to sentence Page to death once again. The case is now back in front of the South Dakota Supreme Court. The Court has decided to start the appeal process anew. The lawyers for Page and for the State have filed briefs, and the Court has set the case to be argued orally in its March session at the University of South Dakota School of Law. The Supreme Court heard oral argument in this case on March 24, 2004. The Court decided this matter on January 4, 2006, and affirmed the conviction and sentence of death.
Defendant Page has sent a letter to the Court requesting that further appeals be waived and that he be executed. The trial court, the Honorable Warren Johnson, has set the week of August 28, 2006 as the date for Mr. Page’s execution. It is unknown at this time whether this execution date will be enforced. There are other hearings and procedures that likely will take place, and there is no limit to the time within which these matters may be held. This site will be updated as further information becomes available.
Last Updated: April 20, 2006