The following is a list of people executed by the U.S. state of South Dakota from 1877 to date. A total of 20 people have been executed in South Dakota since 1877. Prior to 1915, the sole method of execution was via hanging . South Dakota banned the death penalty in 1915, but it was reinstated in 1939. The method of execution was then changed to electrocution .[ 1]
Capital punishment was reinstated in South Dakota in 1979 following the U.S. Supreme Court decision of Gregg v. Georgia . The method of execution was changed from electrocution to lethal injection in 1984.[ 1] Since 1979, a total of 5 people have been executed, all by lethal injection.[ 2]
No. Name Race Age Sex Date of execution Method Victim(s) Governor 1 Jack McCall White 24 M March 1, 1877 Hanging Wild Bill Hickok John L. Pennington 2 Thomas Egan White — M July 13, 1882 Mary Egan Nehemiah G. Ordway 3 Brave Bear Native American — M November 15, 1882 Joseph Johnson 4 James Leighton Gilmore White 24 M December 15, 1882 Bisente Ortez 5 John Benjamin Lehman White — M February 19, 1892 Constable James H. Burns Arthur C. Mellette 6 Nathaniel R. Thompson White 62 M October 20, 1893 Electa Blighton Charles H. Sheldon 7 Jay Hicks White 28 M November 15, 1894 John Meyer 8 Chief Two Sticks Native American — M December 28, 1894 Four victims 9 Charles Brown Black 54 M July 14, 1897 Emma Stone Andrew E. Lee 10 Ernest Loveswar Native American — M September 19, 1902 George Puck and George Ostrander Charles N. Herreid 11 Allen Walking Shield Native American — M October 21, 1902 Ghost-Faced Bear 12 George Bear Native American 41 M December 5, 1902 C. Edward Taylor and John Shaw 13 Emil Victor White 19 M November 16, 1909 Mr. and Mrs. James Christie, Mildred Christie, and Michael Ronayne Robert S. Vessey 14 Joseph Rickman Black — M December 3, 1913 Ellen Fox and Mildred Fox Frank M. Byrne 15 George Sitts White 33 M April 8, 1947 Electrocution Special state agent Thomas Matthews[ a] George T. Mickelson
^ He also killed Butte County Sheriff Dave Malcolm, but was not separately tried for that murder.