Murder of Chester Poage

Chester Allan Poage (July 4, 1980 – March 13, 2000) was an American man who was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by three men in Spearfish, South Dakota, on March 13, 2000. Elijah Page, Briley Piper, and Darrell Hoadley were convicted of the torture and murder of Poage. Page and Piper were sentenced to death, while Hoadley was sentenced to life in prison. Page was executed by lethal injection on July 11, 2007, becoming the first person to be executed in South Dakota since 1947. Piper remains on death row and is the only person left on death row in South Dakota.

Background Chester Allan Poage was born on July 4, 1980, in Norton County, Kansas. He grew up on a farm just outside Norton, but moved with his family to Rapid City, South Dakota in 1994. In 1996, his father died by suicide, just days after his parents had filed for divorce. The family moved back to Norton but later moved to Spearfish, South Dakota while Poage was at college. Prior to his death, Poage was attending Northwest Kansas Technical School and was a half-year from graduating in communications technology. As Poage lay on the floor, he was kicked repeatedly by Piper until he was unconscious. He was then tied up with a cord and placed in a chair. Piper put a tire iron across Poage's feet to prevent him from moving.

When Poage regained consciousness, he pleaded with his attackers to let him go, but they refused. Instead, he was forced to drink beer containing crushed pills and hydrochloric acid. His ATM card was then taken from him by Page. The perpetrators then discussed their plan to murder Poage while they stood in front of him.

Poage was forced into his own vehicle and was driven approximately seven miles to Higgins Gulch, a remote wooded area in the Black Hills. He was ordered out of the vehicle and pushed into thick snow. He was stripped naked, apart from his undershirt, shoes, and socks. Poage was then escorted downhill toward a small icy creek. During the walk, he was beaten repeatedly until he was forced to lie down in the creek, where he was attacked again.

As Poage lay in the creek, he was stabbed in the neck by Page with a knife. The three men then decided it was time to kill him. Poage requested to be let into his vehicle so he could warm himself up. He said he preferred to bleed to death in the warmth, rather than freezing to death in the cold. Piper agreed to the request if he washed blood off his body first. As Poage washed himself, Piper changed his mind, and Poage was violently dragged back into the creek by the three men as they attempted to drown him. Poage was then finally killed by having rocks thrown at his head.

Page later stated that he and Hoadley ended Poage's life by dropping several large rocks on his head. Piper's brief contends that he did not take part in the drowning attempt or stabbings. Piper argues that he had returned to Poage's vehicle as he was being killed. According to Piper, Hoadley was the one who threw the final rock that killed Poage, but at that point in time, Piper was not there to personally witness the murder. However, Piper allegedly admitted standing on Poage's neck to assist Hoadley in drowning him and then reportedly stabbed Poage twice.

Both Page and Hoadley admitted that they both dropped heavy rocks on Poage's head, actions which they believe are what finally killed him. Hours after the beatings first began, Poage was left for dead in the creek in the early hours of March 13. Following the execution of Charles Rhines in 2019, Piper is the only person on death row in South Dakota. Poage is buried at Norton Cemetery in his hometown of Norton, Kansas.

Perpetrators Elijah Page

Elijah Page (December 1, 1981 – July 11, 2007) was born in Titusville, Florida. While he was still young, he moved with his family to Kansas City, Missouri. Page had a very abusive childhood. He lived with his family in abandoned buildings without heat or utilities. At age two, his mother, Michelle Page, allowed drug dealers to molest him in exchange for drugs. His stepfather, Wes Cline, beat and molested him and once even used him as a human shield in a drug-related shootout. When people learned about the state of the family, they provided them with a kerosene heater, food and clothes. In the early 1990s, Page and his two sisters were finally removed from the home after the parents of Alice Person, a friend of Elijah's sister, Desiree Page, learned about the abuse and reported it. According to Alice's mother, Tamie Person, Elijah had it worse than his sisters, who were treated better since Desiree resembled their mother while the other, Casia Page, resembled their stepfather. Page had repeatedly been sent to juvenile detention centers for burglaries, car thefts, and antisocial behavior. He consistently ran away and rejected programs intended to help him. As early as March 1997, psychologists and psychiatrists noted Page was exhibiting sociopathic traits, such as uncontrollable anger, a lack of remorse, and an absence of a conscience. Page's recorded lack of a desire to change was noted by Johnson.The Ozanam Boys Home in the State of Missouri found Defendant Page had made absolutely no progress while in their treatment facility, and that he exhibited no commitment whatsoever in any type of change in his antisocial behaviors. He repeatedly ran away from their facility, he was defiant, and was alienated to all forms of discipline. He showed no ability to take responsibility for his behavior and blamed other people for his situation.

A hearing was held on August 14, 2006, after which Johnson found Page to be mentally competent. On the evening of August 27, 2006, prison warden Doug Weber announced that Page's sentence would be carried out on the night of August 29. Just hours before Page was to be put to death, however, he was granted a reprieve by Governor Mike Rounds until at least July 1, 2007, over a technicality involving the execution drugs. On December 15, Johnson ordered that Page be executed on the week of July 9.

Page's mother would admit to neglecting her son, but denied ever abusing him. Those who knew the family disputed this. To the day of his execution, which he denied her permission to attend, Page refused to have anything to do with his mother. He rejected her offers to speak to her, let alone visit him in prison. In contrast, Page reconnected with his biological father, Kenneth Chapman, who was absent from his life until he was 13.

Desiree said her brother had told her that he was haunted by what he'd done and thought about the crime on a nightly basis.

On the afternoon of July 9, 2007, Doug Weber announced that Page's sentence would be carried out on the night of July 11. Page was executed by lethal injection at South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls on July 11, 2007. He was the first person executed in South Dakota since 1947 and the first person executed in South Dakota since the state reinstated capital punishment in 1979. At the age of 25, Page is also the youngest person executed in South Dakota in the modern era. No one younger than him has been executed in the United States since his execution. Page's last meal was steak, jalapeño peppers, onion rings, a salad, and ice cream. Asked if he had any last words, Page said he did not.

In 2011, Poage's mother, Dottie Poage, said she respected Page's decision to stop fighting his sentence, after learning about the extent of his remorse. Page believed that he deserved to die for what he'd done. Shortly before Page's execution, Dottie admitted that she did have some pity for Page after learning about his upbringing and felt that he wasn't entirely to blame for the way he turned out. She said the system hadn't been adequate enough to help him, even though this did not excuse his actions. grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. When he was 13, he was arrested for allegedly grabbing a woman and was also arrested for assault after robbing a classmate at knifepoint. Prosecutors have argued that Piper was the ringleader of the group and was good at manipulating people.

Piper pleaded guilty to Poage's death in January 2001, waiving his right to have a jury determine his sentence. At his sentencing hearing, it was revealed that Piper had made plans to escape from jail and tried to enlist other inmates. The plan called for an escape in which two female guards would be taken hostage and later killed. Piper also indicated that he wanted to kill Elijah Page, whom he suspected of cooperating with the police.

Prior to sentencing, a tearful Piper had given a statement of remorse. However, the prosecution argued that this was a facade. Darrell Hoadley's girlfriend testified that Piper had laughed about the murder afterwards. Two inmates testified that Piper had told them that he wanted to know what it felt like to kill someone and had found the experience exciting. However, Page's sister said these claims were false and had stemmed from her brother's upbringing. Since Page's mother and stepfather would routinely blame him whenever something bad happened, he had continued to do so as an adult.

Johnson also noted that, unlike his two accomplices, Piper had had a good upbringing: "I felt sorry, terribly sorry, for your mom and dad. There's no doubt that at one time you were a good kid and a good scout. Somehow, within a few short years, you went from being a good son to a thief, a thug, and eventually a killer." Piper appealed his conviction, and in 2009, the State Supreme Court overturned the death sentence, arguing that a jury should decide his fate. The jury sentenced him to death in August 2011, with the sentence being upheld in 2019. With the execution of Charles Russell Rhines on November 4, 2019, Piper is now the only person left on death row in South Dakota. As of March 2025, Piper's latest appeal to overturn his conviction was denied by the South Dakota District judge.

Piper filed a federal habeas corpus action in the U.S. District Court for South Dakota. The case was assigned to the Honorable Roberto A. Lange. On May 4, 2026, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed Judge Lange’s decision. He remains incarcerated at South Dakota State Penitentiary awaiting execution.

Darrell Hoadley Darrell R. Hoadley (born November 5, 1979) was born in Laramie, Wyoming. He had a difficult childhood and was abused by his mother and her male friends. By the time of the murder he was living in Lead, South Dakota and had a daughter. Unlike Page and Piper, Hoadley did not waive his right to have a jury determine his sentence. He pleaded not guilty at his trial. After the jury deadlocked 8–4 in favor of life in prison, he was spared execution. Hoadley was sentenced to life in prison in 2001. He remains incarcerated at South Dakota State Penitentiary.