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Published May 31, 2012, 10:16 AM

SD court upholds conviction in 1975 AIM slaying

The South Dakota Supreme Court has upheld a Canadian man's murder conviction and life sentence in the 1975 slaying of a fellow American Indian Movement activist.

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — The South Dakota Supreme Court has upheld a Canadian man's murder conviction and life sentence in the 1975 slaying of a fellow American Indian Movement activist.

John Graham was convicted in December 2010 of taking part in the killing of Annie Mae Aquash. Prosecutors say Graham and two other AIM activists killed Aquash because they suspected she was a government informant.

Graham is a member of a tribe in Canada's Yukon Territory. He argued that the government should not have been allowed to move his case from federal to state court after his extradition to the U.S.

The South Dakota Supreme Court in a unanimous ruling says the state had jurisdiction to prosecute Graham, and prosecutors presented sufficient evidence to convict him. He was sentenced to life without parole.

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