FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Thursday, February 08, 2018

CONTACT:  Sara Rabern (605) 773-3215

PIERRE, S.D. -  Attorney General Marty Jackley announced today that the South Dakota Supreme Court has affirmed the murder, rape and burglary conviction of Dean Kryger for the death of Kari Kirkegaard.

“The South Dakota Supreme Court has unanimously upheld the jury’s guilty verdict in this very violent case,” said Jackley. “The jury carefully considered the facts and its decision has been reaffirmed by the Supreme Court. Kari Kirkegaard’s family remains in all of our thoughts and prayers over this very difficult and tragic loss of a loved one.”

The South Dakota Supreme Court rejected each of Kryger’s claims, finding that Kryger’s admission that he had a “criminal mind” admissible and that evidence was sufficient to sustain Kryger’s conviction on all crimes. 

Kryger was convicted by a Minnehaha County jury in February 2016 and was sentenced to life in prison for first degree murder, 50 years for second degree rape, and 25 years for first degree burglary to run concurrently with the first degree murder sentence, but consecutively to the sentence for second degree rape.

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