Spearfish man sentenced to life in prison for killing wife appeals to state Supreme Court

RAPID CITY, SD (KOTA) – Dreau Rogers of Spearfish was convicted earlier this year of killing his wife Destiny Rogers in their home in January 2022.

RELATED: Spearfish man gets life sentence for murder of wife

On Tuesday, Rogers appealed that verdict to the state Supreme Court, citing several legal issues that led to his guilty verdict.

Rogers claims that any reasonable person would have acquitted him given the evidence his defense allegedly presented. He says the evidence included photographs showing police officers wearing “dirty gloves” to handle the weapon used in the incident.

He says police also gave the other suspect, Donavan Derrek, his phone back, which was key evidence in determining Derrek's whereabouts during the incident. Finally, Rogers says that it was proven during the trial that both Rogers and Derrek had gunshot residue on them, which could indicate that they were both at the crime scene.

RELATED: Jury finds Spearfish man guilty of second-degree murder

A decision on the appeal is expected in the coming months.

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