The South Dakota Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of a man serving 70 years in prison for kidnapping and later raping his estranged wife at gunpoint.
The state’s high court ruled that Circuit Judge Eric Strawn had given appropriate consideration in setting prison sentences for Richard Seidel.
A jury last year found Seidel guilty of 1st-degree kidnapping, 2nd-degree rape, committing a felony while armed, and aggravated assault.
The woman testified he put zip ties around her neck, wrists and ankles, but Seidel claimed it was part of sex play known as “erotic asphyxiation.”