A Spearfish man was found guilty on a count of second-degree murder in the shooting death of his wife.
Thirty-three-year-old Dreau Rogers faced alternative counts of first- and second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Destiny Dawn, in their Spearfish home.
Rogers maintained his innocence throughout the trial. Closing statements were delivered Thursday.
After deliberating for about two hours, the jury returned the verdict which carries a mandatory life sentence. His sentencing hearing is Jan. 2.
The trial was briefly held up earlier this week after attorneys couldn’t produce reports from the Rapid City Special Response Team that document their account of the night of Jan. 22, 2022.
Defense attorney Robert Rohl said the defense is entitled to review these reports and requested a mistrial. Circuit court judge Michael Day agreed on the first matter and called for a brief recess.
Ultimately, the brief pause in the trial was all that came as judge Day rejected all the mistrial grounds, contending that while defense hasn’t seen the documents, neither had prosecutors.