South Dakota Supreme Court upholds kidnapping, rape case
Mike Tanner/KWAT
January 1, 2021
BISON, S.D. (AP) – The South Dakota Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of a Bison man serving 70 years in prison for kidnapping and later raping his estranged wife at gunpoint.
The state’s high court on Thursday ruled Judge Eric Strawn had given appropriate consideration in setting prison sentences for Richard Seidel.
A jury last year found Seidel guilty of first-degree kidnapping, second-degree rape, committing a felony while armed and aggravated assault.
The woman testified Seidel put zip ties around her neck, wrists and ankles.
Seidel claimed the marks made by the ties were part of what is known as “erotic asphyxiation.”
