Rich killed the two women by crushing their skulls with rocks, and he fatally shot Slavik. He assaulted the girl and threw her 105 feet from a bridge. Judge Denies Death Row Killer's Religious Request Rich said he had reformed after discovering his Cherokee heritage in prison, and he spent the hours leading up to his execution seeking legal permission to take part in a sweat lodge ceremony as a last rite. Sweat lodges are used in some American Indian religious ceremonies to purify the spirit.
Participants sit within an enclosed structure and pray while water is poured over fire-heated rocks.
In court papers, Rich said the ceremony was crucial to helping him make amends. State prosecutors also filed an affidavit from a policy analyst for the Cherokee Nation who said the ceremony is not a Cherokee tradition. Inc. All rights reserved.