SIOUX FALLS, S.D. ? A South Dakota inmate pleaded guilty Thursday to first-degree murder in the killing of a prison guard during a botched escape attempt.
Michael Nordman, 47, pleaded guilty in exchange for a sentence of life in prison for his part in the slaying of Ronald Johnson. First-degree murder with at least one aggravating factor carries a maximum sentence of death in South Dakota.
Nordman also pleaded guilty to felony murder and being a habitual offender.
Prosecutors said Nordman supplied the plastic wrap and metal pipe that inmates Eric Robert and Rodney Berget used to suffocate and fatally beat Johnson on April 12 ? Johnson's 63rd birthday.
Robert and Berget, both 49, also pleaded guilty to murder in the attack on Johnson at the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls. Both men waived their rights to jury trials and were sentenced to death. Robert's execution is set for May, while Berget's has not yet been scheduled.
Nordman, who was in prison for a 1990 conviction for first-degree rape and child abuse, sat between his two lawyers wearing an orange jumpsuit with his hands shackled.
Asked by Second Circuit Judge Bradley Zell if he provided the pipe, Nordman responded, "I made that available, yes."
Nordman also admitted he pointed to where the plastic wrap could be found.
Johnson was working alone the morning of his death in a part of the prison known as Pheasantland Industries, where inmates work on upholstery, signs, custom furniture and other projects. Prosecutors said that after Robert and Berget killed Johnson, Robert put on Johnson's uniform and tried to carry a large box toward the prison gate with Berget inside. The inmates were apprehended before leaving the grounds.
Johnson's widow, Lynette Johnson, told the court she was angry that Nordman was not sentenced to death like Berget and Robert.
"Nordman is responsible for that badly beaten body that is my husband. He may not have had any blood on his uniform ... but he is responsible. He is just as responsible," she said, staring intently at Nordman. "Look at me, you're just as responsible as your friends. You killed my husband."
Zell agreed with prosecutors and defense lawyers that Nordman should be considered dangerous and should be segregated from the rest of the prison population.
The penitentiary made more than a dozen procedural changes less than a month after Johnson's killing, including adding officers to three areas of the prison and installing additional security cameras. Other changes outlined in a 28-page report released by the state in May included further restricting inmate traffic, strengthening perimeter fencing, improving lighting and mandating body alarm "panic buttons" for staff.
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Follow Kristi Eaton on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kristieaton
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