Death is an inevitable and unavoidable part of life for all people, but most don’t have to live with the terrifying knowledge of the exact time and manner of their death before it happens.
For the past six years, an inmate in a South Dakota prison has lived knowing how and when his life would come to an unnatural end. Yet when that day finally came, what he did with his final moments took witnesses by surprise.
Life In Prison
In 2003, Rodney Berget was found guilty for attempted murder and kidnapping. For his crimes, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. For almost 10 years, Berget had been incarcerated at the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls.
Desperate to Escape
During that time, he mostly stayed out of trouble. As a result, he had been moved from the maximum security Jameson Annex part of the prison to the West Hall, which is less restrictive. However, that all changed in 2011 when he and two other inmates came up with a plan to break out of prison.
Laundry Duty
In late March of 2011, Berget and inmate Eric Robert had been assigned to laundry duty. The job gave them access to the Pheasantland Industries building, which is an area of the prison where inmates work on projects like making signs, custom furniture, and even working on upholstery.
The Escape Plan
It was around that time that the two men came up with a plan to escape prison from the industries building. Normally, inmates are too afraid to attempt to break out of prison because of the threat of having more time added to their sentence if caught.
Nothing to Lose
But for Berget, who knew he’d spend the rest of his life in prison, that wasn’t a deterrent. At the time, Robert was also serving an 80-year sentence for kidnapping and didn’t think getting an added time would really make a difference since he would likely die before completing his sentence anyway.
Time to Act
So after coming up with a plan, the two inmates decided to put it into action on April 12, 2011. That morning, Berget and Robert got a pipe and some plastic wrap from a fellow inmate, Michael Nordman. Once they had their weapons, the pair headed for the Pheasantland Industries building.
A Lone Prison Guard
At the time, prison guard Ron ‘RJ’ Johnson, whose 63rd birthday was that day, had been assigned to watch that area alone. Tragically, he didn’t stand a chance on his own against the two inmates when they came upon him and started attacking him with a pipe.
The Attack
According to authorities, Berget and Robert brutally attacked Johnson with the pipe. The pair then proceeded to wrap his head with the plastic wrap to make sure he didn’t survive his injuries. After that, they both undressed him before his uniform became soaked with blood.
In Disguise
Robert then put on Johnson’s uniform, which included his pants, jacket, and hat. Meanwhile, Berget climbed into one of two boxes that were loaded onto a push cart, which Robert then planned to push out the exit to make their escape. However, not everything went according to plan.
Halfway There
Robert and Berget managed to make it through the first of two exit gates without being stopped. However, when they approached the second exit gate as a food truck was entering the prison, a correctional officer noticed something unusual about the guard.
Red Flags
The officer couldn’t help but notice that the jacket and pants that Robert was wearing were way too big for the man and he thought it was strange that the guard was wearing a baseball cap. When neither he nor another officer recognized the guard, they stopped him and started asking questions.
The ID Check
The officer reminded Robert that he needed to swipe his badge, and Robert replied he simply forgot his badge. Not satisfied with his answer, the officer radioed for an ID check. Since they were about to be caught, Robert and Berget started attacking the officer and tried to climb over a prison gate.
The Crime Scene
While climbing the fence, Robert was hit with a stock weapon and Berget was dragged to the ground. At around 11 in the morning, the staff at the prison discovered Johnson laying in a pool of blood. They found Berget’s ID nearby and the two-foot pipe used in the attack.
The Confession
Prison staff immediately called for paramedics, but it was sadly too late. By 11:50 that morning, paramedics pronounced Johnson dead. At that point, Berget admitted his role in the attack and the escape attempt he had planned with Robert, who also pleaded guilty to the murder sometime after the failed escape.
The Death Sentence
With the overwhelming proof and both inmates’ confessions, Robert and Berget were both charged with the murder of the 63-year-old prison guard who had been planned on retiring from the job. As a result, Robert and Berget were both sentenced to death.
Robert’s Final Moments
In addition, the inmate who had given Robert and Berget the pipe and plastic wrap was sentenced to life in prison for his part in the prison guard’s death. Robert was executed in 2012. “In the name of justice and liberty and mercy, I authorize and forgive Warden Douglas Weber to execute me for my crimes. It is done,” Robert said in his final moments.
Six Years Later
Berget, on the other hand, was forced to wait on death row for six years. During that time, Berget’s attorneys tried to fight the sentence. They questioned his mental status and argued that he had an intellectual disability, which would make it illegal to execute him under South Dakota capital punishment laws. For a while, Berget wanted to escape his death sentence, however, by 2017, he was tired of fighting his fate.
Giving Up The Fight
While his attorneys continued to fight the sentence, Berget wrote a letter to the court in 2017 explaining that he wanted to face his sentence. “These are my requests and move forward with getting a [sic] execution date,” he wrote. Berget explained that his son and grandchildren were being harassed because of what he did. “That happens every day. People looking down at kids for what there parents may or may not have done in there life [sic]. And that’s not right.” Berget also explained he feared the death penalty would soon be outlawed in South Dakota and he couldn’t bear the thought of spending decades in prison.
An Unusual Final Statement
The 56-year-old was scheduled to be put to death in late October 2018, but it was delayed yet again for a few hours as Berget’s lawyers continued to try and stop it. Yet the courts ultimately decided to move forward with the execution. “Sorry for the delay, I got caught in traffic,” Berget joked in his final moments, which was surprisingly light-hearted for a man about to die. “I love you, and I’ll meet you out there,” he said right before being killed by lethal injection.
A Cruel And Unusual Punishment
While many people opposed his death and the fact that South Dakota still has the death sentence, Lynette Johnson, Johnson’s widow, urged people not to feel bad for Berget. “What’s embedded in my mind is the crime scene. Ron laid in a pool of blood. His blood was all over that crime scene,” she said in a statement after Berget’s death. “They broke his neck, they severed fingers, broke his wrists, he didn’t have the back of his head … that’s cruel and unusual punishment.”
