ABERDEEN, S.D. (AP) - The South Dakota Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of a man who fatally stabbed his ex-girlfriend in Aberdeen.
The high court unanimously affirmed both the conviction and the sentence for John Eric Hemminger. Attorney General Marty Jackley says the court upheld law enforcement’s seizure of Hemminger’s cell phone, clothing and DNA. It also agreed it was appropriate for the state to introduce 26 autopsy photos of the victim over the defense’s objection.
Last year a jury found Hemminger guilty of premeditated murder in the January 2015 death of 26-year-old Jessica Goebel of Aberdeen. She was stabbed 26 times and died later at a Sioux Falls hospital.
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