Charles Rhines timeline: The crime and the time on death row
Charles Rhines is on death row for the 1992 murder of Donnivan Schaeffer in Rapid City. Here is the history of the case:
July 11, 1956: Charles Russell Rhines born in McLaughlin, S.D. He is the 4th of 4 children.
1973: Rhines quits high school, enlists in U.S. Army, infantry, stationed in Ft. Carson, Colo., and South Korea
1977: Rhines arrested for 3rd-degree burglary out of Bon Homme County after break-in to residence of rivals at University of South Dakota, Springfield, where he'd been attending school as a non-traditional student. Served just over seven months at South Dakota State Penitentiary.
1979: Rhines arrested for armed robbery, commission of a felony with a firearm. Sentenced to 10 years. Served time from 1980-86 in Washington due to trouble with other inmates in South Dakota.
1986 - 1990: Lived/worked in Seattle, Wash., area at various restaurants, salvage yards, factories
Feb. 1991 - Feb. 20, 1992: Employee of Dig Em Donuts, Rapid City.
March 8, 1992: Breaks into Dig Em Donuts, steals cash, murders 22-year-old Donnivan Schaeffer
March 11, 1992: Returns to Seattle, Wash., and begins committing small-scale thefts with prison friend Matt Mighell.
May - June 1992: Rhines convinces former roommate Sam Harter to come to Seattle area. Harter brings girlfriend Heather Shepard. Mighell, Harter, Shepard and Rhines continue small-time theft. Rhines tells Shepard about Schaeffer's murder, later threatens to kill her
June 19, 1992: Rhines arrested in Seattle.
Jan. 1993: Rhines sentenced to death for the murder of Donnivan Schaeffer
1996: South Dakota Supreme Court upholds death sentence for Rhines
2000: Rhines files federal habeas corpus action
March 2005: U.S. Supreme Court orders South Dakota courts to review Rhines case.
2012: Rapid City Judge Thomas Trimble rules against Rhines in state habeas appeal. State Supreme Court again upholds ruling the following year
Jan. 2014: U.S. Supreme Court denies to review S.D. Supreme Court decision
Jan. 2014: State of South Dakota seeks to dismiss federal habeas appeal
(Source: The Argus Leader)
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