The Murder of Dru Sjodin
An attractive 22-year-old University of North Dakota Student Dru Sjodin left her job at the Columbia Mall in Grand Forks, North Dakota at 4 p.m. Nov. 22, 2003 and was never seen alive again. She was talking with her boyfriend on her cell phone when she said “Oh my god.” Her phone then went dead. Chris Lang received another call from Dru’s phone a few hours later, but there was only static on the other end of the line.
On December 1, 2003, although her body had yet been found, Alfonso Rodriguz Jr, a registered sex offender from Minnesota who had recently completed a 23-year prison term, was charged with abducting Dru Sjodin. After Dru’s body was discovered April 17, 2004 near where Rodriquz lived, a federal grand jury charged Rodriguez with kidnapping and murder.
Latest Developments
Death Penalty Upheld in Dru Sjodin Case
Sept. 22, 2009
The death sentence has been upheld for a sex offender who was convicted of the kidnapping and murder of University of North Dakota student Dru Sjodin in 2003. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. received a fair trial and sentence.
Previous Developments
Dru Sjodin’s Killer Sentenced to Die
Feb. 8, 2007
U.S District Judge Ralph Erickson also rejected a motion for a new trial for Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. in the death of 22-year-old Dru Sjodin.
Dru Sjodin’s Killer Gets Death Sentence
Sept. 22, 2006
After three decades of sexual assaults, Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. will no longer be able to prey on innocent victims. He was sentenced to death today by a federal jury in Fargo.
Rodriguez Guilty of Murder
Aug. 30, 2006
A federal jury deliberated less than four hours today before returning a guilty verdict in the trial of Alfonso Rodriquez Jr. The verdict sets up the first death penalty phase of a trial in North Dakota in more than 100 years.
